Explorers of Sky re-written
by Gamerowak
Summary: Follow a meowth with hidden potential,joined by a cyndaquil who got washed up on the beach, into this mysterious adventure, told in an entirely new perspective, to save their world from a mysterious crisis that freezes the livings in time.
1. Chapter 1

**EXPLORERS OF SKY RE-WRITTEN**

 **Chapter 1: A Storm at Sea**

It was a stormy night, on a cliff of the western part of a continent recently named the Grass Continent. Its heavy rain poured down on the world from its menacing dark grey clouds. Lightning would occasionally strike down in the flashiest fashion, so flashy it would, for an instance, give the impression it was daytime despite the absence of a sun. The cliff had a large plateau over it inhabited by a few tents. Those tents formed a small settlement for a few living creatures known as pokemons. This settlement had a sole purpose: map this completely new continent and establish a prosperous civilization for the future generations. This task once proved to be a challenge for some other continents before this one. The lack of hope, the threat of a giant meteorite, those contributed in an attempt to halt the progress of all lifeforms on the planet. In those dark times, humans were summoned from another world to solve those major conflicts and ensure the world could carry on with its quest. What would prevent pokemons to explore now?

The cliff had an opening shaped like a shark's mouth. In fact, this part of the cliff was shaped like a shark's head. Inside lived a small feline with cream-colored fur that turned brown at the tips of its hind paws and tail. Its ovoid head featured four prominent whiskers, wide eyes with slit pupils, two pointed teeth in the upper jaw, and a gold oval coin embedded in its forehead. Its ears were black with brown interiors, and were flanked with an additional pair of long whiskers. He was lonely in its remarkably huge single room for someone like it, sleeping on a pile of hay. He was not asleep though. He was lying sideway, facing the huge opening that served as a window for his home. The way his home was made prevented rain to pour in his home. He stared at the stormy sky. He could not sleep but the reason was in his mind rather than his surroundings. He was lonely, did not have any friends. Even the residents at the surface were not really his friends. They were more like co-workers for a community. He did not even have parents. He was born all alone on a faraway land and slipped in the first ride to this uncharted territory while the other pokemons could afford the travel. Because of that, the others gave him an unwelcome presence. He found this hideout by luck and chose to reside in it. The only entrance was hidden by a conveniently placed bush. The pokemon sighed and closed his eyes, dreaming one day of making a friend.

A new day rose. Our lonely pokemon woke up and searched in a bag placed right next to his pile of hay to pull out an apple he then ate. He checked inside the bag after his breakfast but only had another apple left, an elixir, a seed and a rock with carvings on it. He found the rock while wandering around back on his home continent and took it with him because it looked nice. He was very poor, so poor he could barely afford any food or drink to satiate his needs. It would have been worse if he lived on the surface or if anyone knew of his home. He would have to pay taxes to stay here. He slowly stood up and went to the big opening in his home. It gave an impressing view on a beach with its golden sand far down the cliff and the ocean with its crystalline water going to the infinite horizon. He took a brief moment to enjoy the scenery and headed out with his bag to live the routine: deliver, get an apple, lunch, deliver, get another apple, supper, deliver, get a last apple, and end the day.

On the surface, he was working as an errand boy. He could not get any other work since he did not have any experience in anything. The settlement was made of a linear road where the tents were mounted around. A few instalments were actual buildings like the first building to the left the lonely pokemon passed by. It was used for item storage and as a post office to send or receive letters and parcels. It was run by a kangaskhan. Our lonely pokemon made deliveries for this pokemon. The salary was much less than the minimum but he had no choice.

"Over here!" The owner said while waving at the meowth.

The storage owner was one of the very few people that appreciated the meowth's company. She was also the only one willing to offer him a job but could not pay him much. The meowth went to the counter, ready to do his job. This time, however, the kangaskhan did not seem to have anything to have delivered.

"I heard the guild was lookin' for pokemons to recruit. Maybe it'll be a good idea to give it a shot, don't ya think?" The owner proposed.

"Really? It's always been my dream to explore the world. I'll go check it out! Thank!" The meowth thanked and immediately left the counter.

The lonely pokemon ran through the settlement. Right next to the storage was a tent occupied by two kekleons. They were twin brothers but one was green while the other was purple. They ran a shop that sold anything anyone would need whether it was food, drink, seeds or even orbs and move discs. Our meowth would buy his apples there.

On the other side, another tent was installed inhabited by a xatu. This bird pokemon used to live in a canyon on the Air Continent to the north but moved here to offer his services. It was rumored that explorers tended to find locked treasure chests they could not open and it just so happened that the xatu knew how to pick the lock.

The meowth passed a bridge crossing over a river. The water flowed to a waterfall to then meet up with the sea. The first tent after the bridge, to the left, was run by an electrivire. His services consisted of changing moves for explorers. He could even link moves together to use them quicker.

Across the dirt road was installed a daycare where a chansey would babysit the children of the explorers while they were away. It was too dangerous for children at their age to accompany their parents.

Right next to the daycare, a marowak opened a dojo to train explorers and settlers who wanted to defend themselves. Having been a former explorer back on the Air Continent a long time ago, his services are often looked up by the newer explorers who could confirm their relevancy to the field.

The last building next to the electrivire's tent was a bank for a currency named pokes. A duskull would operate the bank and keep the settler's money safe. The meowth never used this service but, unlike most other services in which he did not need to, he never had any spare pokes on him.

The settlement was built on a giant patch of grass with some rock fences lying around and a few trees. The meowth arrived at a crossroad from the west. The northern path led to a set of stairs that went up a mountain. The eastern path did not seem to lead somewhere in particular. The southern path led to the beach at the foot of the cliff the settlement was built on. A spinda was excavating a space on the south-west spot of the crossroad while a well full of pure water was put on the north-east spot. A big plank of wood standing on some wooden pillars covered the well to prevent rainwater to mix up with the already drinkable water. It was where the meowth would get his water whenever he was thirsty. The meowth took the northern path and climbed the stairs.

He arrived at the top of the mountain where another tent was built. Surrounded by two sources of fire and two totems, this tent also had a wire rack placed on the ground right in front of it. The meowth hesitated at first. He walked in circle without passing the wire rack. There was no way to walk around it. The first risk he ever took, the one of leaving his home continent, might have been one big mistake but it led it to an opportunity of a dream, a dream of a lifetime.

"I have to steel my courage today and take another risk. If I don't do it now, I'll never be able to it later." The meowth whispered.

He put one foot on the wire rack then the other one.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" A voice loudly ordered.

The meowth got scared and froze in place. He feared he might be detained. Since he was not supposed to be here, the meowth believed he would be sent back to his home continent where things would not be better for him.

"Don't move. We're doing a pokemon check… Let's see… Oh hi, Meowth, do you have something to deliver at the guild today?" The voice spoke with a much calmer tone.

"No… In fact, I wanted to join the guild." The meowth stuttered.

"Join the guild? We're always looking for new recruits these days. Do you have someone else willing to accompany you?"

"Someone else? What do you mean?"

"According to rule number 77, pokemon between the age of 13 and 18 cannot be sent alone on adventures. They can however accompany or be accompanied by another child pokemon. You can still join the guild but you'll have to do some work at the guild until we can find you someone that would like to accompany you on your adventures."

The meowth closed his eyes and lowered his head. He had to find someone willing to go with him but he knew no one back at the settlement would agree to be with him. He turned around and slowly walked away. He returned at the crossroad but took the southern path instead of heading back west.

He descended more stairs and led to the beach. The meowth looked at the orange sky with its sun slowly rising up. It could also be seen in the sea's reflection. A few purple clouds surrounded the sun but did not dare to conceal its beauty. Bubbles floated in the air and travelled west. The meowth sat down on the golden sand and stared at the horizon.

"I always end up here on my breaks, when I feel sad. But it always raises my morale and makes me carry on with my day in hope I'll improve my life." He whispered.

He lied down on the beach near the sea. He closed his eyes and let the sea gently massage his feet. He thought of his dream and how he would achieve it. He could perhaps visit Chansey's daycare to see who was about to become 13. He might have to wait at least a year but he would make his dream come true. Or fate could smile at him as it would right now. Something bumped into the meowth's feet. He woke up, startled. He saw an unconscious pokemon lying down in front of him. It was a small, bipedal Pokémon with bluish fur on top of its body, and a milky color on the underside. Tt seemed to be a composite of features from the echidna and the shrew. The echidna features were the flames from its back, while its general body shape was shrew-like. Its eyes were closed and it had a long, thin snout. It lacked claws on its forelimbs, but had a single claw on each hind foot. It did not move. The meowth panicked and quickly searched in his bag but struggled to get what he was looking for. He had to empty the entire bag on the beach to get what he was looking for: the seed. He took the seed and slid it between the pokemon's forelimbs. As soon as the seed was in place, a yellow beam of light came down from the sky wrapping the unconscious newcomer. The light vanished and the newcomer started moaning. It did not open its eyes but it looked at the meowth.

"Are you okay? Where are you from?" The meowth asked.

Our new pokemon first looked at itself and screamed.

"Woah! What's wrong!? Did you lose something!?" The meowth asked, frightened.

The pokemon looked around and saw the sea. It went to it and stared at the water right under its feet. With its forelimbs, it touched every single detail on his face then his body. The meowth was confused.

"Are you alright?" The meowth asked.

The new pokemon looked back at the meowth and pointed behind him. The meowth looked behind him and saw two unwelcome guests taking his stuff. It was a zubat and a koffing. They would always bother the meowth every day. The meowth completely forgot about these two while he was helping the new pokemon.

"Hey! That's mine!" The meowth yelled.

"Ho ho! Did you hear that, Ghubat?" The koffing mocked.

"Finderz keeperz, lozer! Catch uz if you can!" The zubat taunted.

And just like that, the two burglars took the bag with everything in it and left west. The meowth looked back at the new pokemon, angered.

"You're gonna help me, right?" He asked.

The pokemon nodded but that was because it all happened so suddenly. If he had a better idea of what was going on, he would go find some local help or some figure of authority to apprehend the troublemakers. And so, the two pokemons headed west into a cave. As soon as they entered the cave, they caught a strange feeling.

They ended up in a maze of blue rocky corridors with its floors made of light purple sand. They ventured through the corridors until they met a shellder. The shellder's eyes seemed to be red.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you appear to have seen a zubat and a koffing passing by?" The meowth asked.

The shellder did say anything. It instead went to the meowth but the new pokemon pushed the shellder away. The shellder went bouncing away and came back.

"Why did you do that?" The meowth asked.

The shellder spit some water on the meowth. It hurt him but it made him understand the shellder was not friendly. The new pokemon tackled the shellder and defeated it. It then looked back at the meowth with a look as if the meowth was supposed to know about that and combat.

"I've never been outside the settlement. It's my first time." The meowth brought up, a little embarrassed.

They kept going inside the cave and met some more pokemons that wanted to fight them but the new pokemon took care of them. It seemed that this new pokemon knew a lot about exploration despite having been found washed up on the beach. Perhaps it was an explorer who lost its way to somewhere but the meowth could not understand when the pokemon seemed surprised about himself.

They eventually reached a dead end where they found the two burglars. The dead end was some sort of secret beach with the same colors as the one outside the cave. Though the burglars planned to lose their pursuers through the cave, they did not expect to reach a dead end as they were arguing with each other.

"Idiot! Look where you brought uz!" The zubat insulted.

"Me!? I jusht followed you in there. You should've gone the other way, shtupid!" The koffing insulted back.

They heard footsteps and looked at the source. They did not expect their culprit to catch up that fast.

"You again!? Az if thiz day couldn't get any worze!" The zubat complained.

"Shut up, Ghubat! Let'sh beat them down!" The koffing declared as he dashed toward the meowth.

The pokemons started a fight but it ended as fast as it began. The new pokemon sure knew a lot to be able to take down two burglars all by himself without even breaking a sweat. He first spit some fire at the koffing who was immediately beaten. He then tackled the zubat who crashed on the sand afterward. The two troublemakers stood back up, hurt.

"Okay, you win! Here, have you ztupid rock back, lozerz!" The zubat said.

"You haven't sheen the lasht of ush! We'll be back!" The koffing warned.

They left the belongings behind and immediately fled the scene. The meowth took the bag and left the secret beach with his new friend. It took less time for our new explorers to exit the beach.

"Thanks for helping me get my stuff back. I really appreciate it." The meowth said to his new friend.

The new pokemon nodded.

"Say, do you have a place around here to stay? If not, I might have an idea of what we can do now." The meowth proposed.

The new pokemon tilted his head sideway. He was intrigued.

"I know it might sound I'm proposing something out of nowhere but, do you want to go with me and make our own exploration team at the guild?" The meowth asked.

The new pokemon was not sure of such proposal. He first looked down on the sand and his sight was led to the sea then the sky, still the same scenery as before. He looked back at the meowth and smiled. He nodded.

"Really? But you just got washed up on the beach. Surely, you must have been doing something else." The meowth reminded.

The new pokemon simply raised his shoulders, giving little importance to that fact. They both left the beach and headed to the guild.

And so, our two pokemons would form an exploration team. This would turn out to be their very first step into many fantastic realms of adventure that would await their arrival.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The New Guild Recruits**

Our two future adventurers hurried back to the top of the mountain where the guild was standing. They stopped right before the grill on the ground.

"That's the guild. That's where we're gonna form our own exploration team. We're gonna train hard and become first-grade explorers in no time!" The meowth explained, excited.

The meowth went on the grill first and stood there.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" A familiar voice loudly ordered.

This time, the meowth was much less scared than the first time but still jumped a bit when he heard the voice that loud.

"Hello again, Meowth, have you already changed your mind?" The voice asked.

"Actually, I found someone willing to form an exploration team with me." Meowth answered.

"If that's the case, you can go ahead and let your friend stand on the grill." The voice replied.

Meowth moved forward by the gate while the new pokemon walked on the grill. The latter halted his walk on it.

"Alright, stand right there. Let's see… A cyndaquil, eh? I've never seen or heard of you before." The voice pointed out.

"I found him washed ashore and he helped me teach a lesson to some troublemakers. I thought I could bring him here for the moment while he recovers his memory." Meowth said.

"Well, I guess I can let you in but you'll have to talk to our guildmaster about it." The voice concluded.

The gate opened and the two pokemons entered the tent. Inside, they found a ladder going down inside the cliff, a similar trait Meowth's house shared with the guild. They went down the ladder to the next floor where some pokemon where waiting for them. Once on the floor, a chatot approached them.

"Good afternoon, children, I am Chatot, the guildmaster's assistant. If you ever need to report anything, seek my aid. I heard you wanted to form an exploration team, is that correct?" The chatot greeted.

Meowth happily nodded.

"Excellent! We're always looking for new recruits to explore this whole new continent. Before we register you two, would you like a little tour of our establishment?" Chatot proposed.

The two newcomers nodded and the chatot began his tour. They approached some boards near the entrance.

"The left one is for rescues, explorations and deliveries. Those are the missions students usually prefer to do for how easy and simple they are. The right one has bounties. Sometimes, a pokemon becomes an outlaw and is wanted by justice which is why we have this board. Explorers can help authorities with the bounties." Chatot explained.

Meowth was impressed. To think he would soon go on missions excited him. The group went down another level. The new level was more of a huge room for the purpose of giving a resting place for tired explorers. A few students, four of them, were resting.

"Gather up, students! We have some new recruits today." Chatot announced.

The students approached the group. A bidoof and a corphish formed one duo while a sunflora and a loudred formed another one.

"Howdy! I'm Bidoof from the Water Continent." The bidoof greeted.

"Hey hey! I'm Corphish from the water continent too." The corphish saluted.

"Oh my gosh! Hi! I'm Sunflora and I did all the decorations in the guild. I'm from the Air Continent." The sunflora anxiously said.

"HI! I'M LOUDRED, THE ONE WHO WORKS THE SPEAKERS AROUND! I'M ALSO FROM THE AIR CONTINENT!" The loudred shouted.

"Students, those two are new students for the guild. Treat them nicely. Children, I present you Bidoof and Corphish. They are beginners just like you and joined a week ago. Over there, they are Sunflora and Loudred. They are more advanced and nearly ready to pass the test to become independent explorers and graduate from the guild." Chatot said.

The trio went to the left of the ladder leading into a corridor with many doors.

"These are the bedrooms where you can stay while you work for the guild." Chatot said.

The cyndaquil looked at his friend who was shaking like a leaf and had a big grin on his face. He could tell his friend was overjoyed. They group returned to the big room and went across into another room, this time a kitchen where a chimeco and a dugtrio was.

"Children, this is Chimeco, the guild steward, and Dugtrio, the sentry. Chimeco cooks for the students while Dugrtio checks anyone that enters the guild. He was the one who checked you two." Chatot explained.

The two new students said hello to the adults and followed the chatot back upstairs. They went to a room near the ladder. It led to an office where a wigglytuff was sat behind a desk playing with papers. It made paper airplanes and threw them all over the office. It suddenly stopped when pokemons entered the room.

"Yay! New friends!" The wigglytuff exclaimed.

"Who's this one fooling around with paper?" Meowth asked.

The remark angered Chatot while the wigglytuff giggled. The chatot immediately pinched Meowth on the cheek.

"This is the guildmaster! Show some respect at least!" Chatot scolded.

The wigglytuff did not appreciate seeing someone being hurt. He went to the aid of Meowth and slapped Chatot in the face.

"Do not hurt friends!" The guildmaster simply said.

"Yes, guildmaster…" Chatot apologized.

"Apologize to them!"

"Yes, guilmaster…"

Chatot apologised to the meowth who forgave him.

"But yes, this is the guildmaster. He is very special." The chatot said back.

"Hello, friends! What brings you here?" The guildmaster asked.

"We would like to form a team." Meowth explained.

"Alright, do you have a name for your team?"

"I thought of team Pokepals."

"Such a delightful name. Welcome aboard, friends, and may your days at the guild be full of joy and adventure."

"Thank you, guildmaster. Now, since it is getting late, I will escort you two to your room." Chatot concluded.

The group went back to the bedrooms. Chatot gave them the room at the end of the corridor. It was a small room with two piles of hay on the ground and a circular window that gave a sigh of the sea. The two new members lied down in the piles of hay.

"What's your name? I never thought to ask you this when we first met." Meowth asked to his new friend.

The cyndaquil looked at his friend but did not say anything. He just raised his shoulders.

"You don't remember? How about I call you Cyndaquil?" Meowth proposed.

The cyndaquil tilted his head sideway.

"Well, you're a cyndaquil and everyone here is referred by their specie." Meowth pointed out.

The cyndaquil nodded. They both fell asleep. Meowth dreamt of all the adventures he would get into with his new friend, the many friends he would make on his journey…

"IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP, EVERYONE!" A voice shouted.

The voice was partially muffled. Meowth and Cyndaquil woke up, dizzy, and they slowly regained their sense and looked around. They noticed the speaker above the doorway. Loudred did say he was the announcer of the guild. They both stood up and headed to the main room. Everyone else was already here especially Loudred who gave an intimidating gaze at the new recruits.

"You're late." Loudred whispered.

Even his whisper was a bit loud for one as if he was talking normally. Chatot heard the remark and went to see him.

"Loudred, it is not your duty to scold students. If you deem someone needs to be scolded, you report it to me." Chatot said.

"Yes, Chatot." Loudred quietly sighed.

Chatot then returned in front of the crowd.

"Alright, students, remind me of the three fundamental rules of our establishment. Rule one…" Chatot started.

"DON'T SHIRK WORK!" The crowd yelled.

"Correct. You are here to help people so do not, in any way, neglect them. Remember that, students. Rule two…"

"RUN AWAY AND PAY!"

"That is also correct. If you fail to complete your mission, you will have to pay for the consequences. Rule three…"

"SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Excellent. Do not underestimate the thanks you get from your client. They will then speak highly of you and you will be renown more and more by the minute. They are counting on you to help them. Now, go pick your missions on the board." Chatot concluded.

All the students left the main room and went upstairs. Meowth and Cyndaquil were amazed by the speech. Chatot then went to his office and came back with a box he presented to the newcomers.

"Children, I would like you two to have this welcome present from the guild." Chatot brought up.

Chatot opened the box and the newcomers took the freedom to take everything inside. There were two badges shaped like eggs with wings.

"Those are your rescue badges. Wear them on you to show the world you are certified explorers from an official guild. You may use them to help anyone stuck inside a mystery dungeon and send them somewhere safe or you may perform an emergency exit at a price. This penalty does not apply if you are on the last floor of a mystery dungeon. Always keep these with you, children." Chatot explained.

The children even found sidepacks inside. They wore them around their body and put their badge on them.

"Those are presents from the best tailors of the Air Continent. You can store anything you find on your adventures or stock up at the shops in town to prepare for your next adventure. Now, follow me at the boards. I will…" Chatot started explaining.

"May I beg your pardon?" A new voice spoke.

The trio was so focused with the box they did not even notice the presence of another visitor until he spoke up. This new visitor was wearing a black cloth with hood covering nearly all his body. Only his yellow eyes were visible. The visitor was quite tall, even taller than Chatot. He stood there quietly. His presence made Cyndaquil uncomfortable.

"Aaah! I haven't seen you before. Sorry for ignoring you, sir, I was teaching those new students over here." Chatot apologised.

The stranger looked at the newcomers. He stared for a moment at the cyndaquil and looked back at Chatot. Though he spoke in a very calm and polite manner, Cyndaquil was worried.

"So, what is your business here, sir?" Chatot asked.

"I would like to register myself as an independent explorer." The stranger answered."

"Well, this is usually for those who have at least a year of experience in the domain and are adults since you need to pass an incredibly hard test. However, judging by your voice and if you insist, I will prepare the test for you."

"Yes please, that would be great of you."

"That is settled. Wait for me at the crossroad down the hill. I will send those two on a mission then I will organize your test." Chatot ended.

The stranger nodded and left the room via the ladder. The others also took the ladder but only went to the other floor above unlike the stranger who completely left the guild. Chatot led the two new students at the board on the left. Before they could look at it, a bell rang.

"Oh no. The explorers are back." Chatot whispered.

He then took the children to a corner and watched as the room suddenly filled with many pokemons who quickly gathered around the boards. Some of them were even stepping on others to get the best missions. A few seconds later, the wave returned upstairs and the room went instantly quiet again.

"As you can see, we have many explorers contributing to map the newly named Grass Continent." Chatot chanted as if nothing ever happened.

They returned to the left board. Only one mission was left on it. Chatot took the paper off the board and examined it.

"Well, at least, they did not leave a really tough one for you children but I wished your first day would be a bit more exciting than that." Chatot sighed as he lent the paper to the new recruits.

Meowth and Cyndaquil read the paper. They were impressed with how much information there was on the mission:

Client: Spoink

Location: Drenched Bluff (7th floor)

Difficulty: E

Reward: 1000 pokes

Description: I lost my pearl there. Please, find it quickly. I'm weakening by the minute.

Behind, Chatot gasped when he read the paper with the new students.

"By Arceus! Everyone overlooked that mission for the low reward while a spoink is dying!" Chatot furiously exclaimed.

"Excuse me but I do not understand." Meowth said, unsure of what was going on.

"Ah, forgive my reaction but this is serious. A spoink's pearl is like his heart. If he loses it he will die soon. You have to hurry, children. Your client is counting on you. To get to the Drenched Bluff, you must exit the town from the east at the crossroad then head south. Now go!" Chatot quickly order.

The new recruits immediately left the guild and followed Chatot's indication. Before they left the town, they saw the cloaked stranger next to the well filling a small canister. The stranger saw them.

"Where are you going?" The stranger asked.

"Sorry, no time to talk!" Meowth replied.

They left town but cyndaquil kept looking at the stranger until he could no longer see him. They arrived at the Drenched Bluff. They entered the place and felt the same weird feeling like the one when they entered the Beach Cave. The Drenched Bluff was a maze of cave-like corridors surrounded by its green-brown rocky walls and light blue sandy floor. A few underground lakes were also present in this mystery dungeon. They ventured through the corridors and rooms. With their new bag, they could pick up the items that were found in the dungeon. Those items were either apples, gummis, berries or seeds. They encounter an anorith. Cyndaquil looked at Meowth and pointed him.

"You want me to take on him one on one?" Meowth asked, nervous.

Cyndaquil nodded. Meowth moved ahead and thought of something to beat the anorith. He snapped his fingers and…

"SCRATCH!" He shouted as he used his claws to attack the anorith.

The wild pokemon barely flinched. It hurt Meowth more than it hurt its opponent. Meowth grabbed his hand in pain and looked back at his friend. The latter opened his mouth and pointed his mouth. He wanted Meowth to bite the anorith? Meowth was not sure at first. He got himself hurt by scratching the wild pokemon and biting it seemed to be a worse idea. Nonetheless, Meowth decided to give it a try. If his friend showed him to and fought much better than Meowth, maybe he knew much more about combat than Meowth did.

"BITE!" Meowth shouted as he used his fangs this time to attack the anorith.

This time, he did not feel pain while biting it, not only that but he also defeated his first opponent in his life. He looked back at his friend and let out a hurrah to celebrate his small exploit. They pressed onward and reached a dead end where a much bigger pokemon was, facing away from the explorers. It was an armaldo and he just found a small pink pearl and decided to examine it. They hoped they would not have to fight that right now.

"A pearl like that must be one of those spoinks usually wields on their head. I hope it's not that or a spoink is in great danger." The armaldo said to himself.

The pokemon did not seem to be aggressive. It was calm. It slightly reassured Team Pokepals. When the two explorers approached him, still being cautious, the armaldo turned around and looked at them.

"Ah! Hello there, children! What brings you there? It's a dangerous place for children like you." The armaldo commented.

"What are you doing here?" Meowth asked while pointing the pink pearl the armaldo was holding.

"Me? I was taking a walk in this mystery dungeon to gather some supplies for myself. I stumbled across this pearl here. Were you after this?"

"Yeah so…"

Cyndaquil grabbed Meowth's shoulder and showed him the mission request. This gave meowth the idea to take the sheet and show it to the armaldo.

"We were sent here on behalf of a client to retrieve a pink pearl." Meowth explained while showing his badge.

It was then that the armaldo just noticed the badges the children were wearing on their bag.

"Oh! You are from the guild. In that case, the pearl is yours. Make haste as I fear the worse for your client. Once you return in town, please send my regards to the guildmaster. Tell him that it's from his mentor. He'll understand." The armaldo said as he gave the pearl to the children.

With their first mission done, the children waved goodbye at the nice passerby and used their badges to return to town. Once there, they went back inside the guild where their client was waiting. His skin tone became lighter while he was struggling to breathe. The explorers handed their client the pearl. The latter put it on his head and started slowing bouncing. It bounced faster and faster. Its skin tone slowly returned to normal. It was back alive and kicking. The client thanked his two saviors and gave them their reward as promised before leaving the guild. Nearby, Bidoof and Corphish just saw the small scenery and went to see the new recruits.

"Hey hey! You did your first mission, guys! Congrats!" Corphish.

"Job well done! Ye should go see the guildmaster since it's yer first job. He's gonna hook ye up some stuff for your days at the guild." Bidoof said.

The new recruits headed to the guildmaster's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in, friends!" Wigglytuff's voice welcomed.

The new recruits entered the office to see Wigglytuff folding some sheets of paper to make origamis, the cloaked stranger sat on a chair, and Chatot behind the desk examining some papers. Chatot seemed baffled about the papers. He looked at the stranger.

"Well, that's a first time in our career, the first perfect score to be ever registered. It seems like I have to do some tweakings to my test. Anyway, following you passing the test, you are now an wanderer. With this title, you may perform independent explorations without having to ever take a mission on the boards. We however recommend you to still take missions to help contributing with the guild." Chatot announced to the stranger.

Chatot then gave a diamond badge to the stranger and the latter stood up and left. He passed by the two new recruits and briefly looked at the cyndaquil before vanishing to the floor above. The two students sat on the chairs in front of the desks.

"Ah, children, you returned! Congratulations on your first mission! May you show me your reward?" Chatot said.

Meowth pulled the thousand pokes they received from the client and put them on the desk.

"Ah! It's quite a big reward for you children. Let me explain how things work at the guild: Whenever you receive a monetary reward from either a client or a bounty, a quarter of the reward is mandatorily given to the guild. This allows you to pay for your membership and your right to take missions from the boards. You may also donate an additional quarter of your reward to rent a bed and another one for the food access." Chatot explained.

The two children thought about how much they wanted to donate to the guild. It was a first time for Meowth to get more than enough pokes. Usually, he would only get a hundred, just enough to get food. This time however, even if he donated the maximum amount, he would still get to keep some pokes. He looked at his friend who just nodded with a smile. He looked back at Chatot and…

"I'll donate the maximum!" Meowth declared.

"Well, that settles it. You may now freely use a bed and get access to food at the guild. Thank you for your donation. Your contribution will improve our services for future explorers." Chatot thanked.

After their meeting with the advisor, they went to the dining room to get a nutritious meal of berries and bread. Afterward, they left for the bedrooms where they took the same room as yesterday. They lied in their hay piles but did not sleep yet. Meowth was still concerned about his friend's past.

"Cyndaquil… Do you think someone out there is looking for you?" Meowth whispered, lying down in his pile of hay.

Cyndaquil looked at him and nodded.

"I hope your friend does not worry too much. Maybe if we can help more people, we'll get your friend's attention and you two will reunite soon." Meowth proposed.

Cyndaquil smiled at his new friend and hugged him. He first thought Meowth was selfish for bringing him into this explorer thing but, after seeing his friend in action and listening to him, he came to realization this new friend wanted what was best for him whether it was to reunite with old friends or make new friends.

"I have so many pokes. I'm not even sure what to buy with them. At least it'll allow us to browse the more expensive wares at the shops." Meowth whispered.

The two new recruits fell asleep. Meowth wished good night to Cyndaquil. Their first day of work was now at an end.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Scream**

"IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP, EVERYBODY! IT'S A BRAND NEW DAY FULL OF ADVENTURES!" Loudred's voice announced.

The two new recruits woke up, dizzied by the loud voice waking them up. They got back their sense and left their room to meet up with the others in the lower main room. Like yesterday, the three first rules of the guilds were recited, a morning routine to remind the students of the importance of their work. Afterward, the students left to the upper main room but the new recruits stayed behind. Meowth just remembered that the armaldo he and Cyndaquil saw yesterday wanted them to send his regards to the guildmaster. They went to the office's door but Chatot was standing in the way.

"Good morning! What brings you to the guildmaster, children?" Chatot greeted.

"We met someone who wanted us to send his regards to the guildmaster yesterday in the Drenched Bluff." Meowth replied.

"But who would do such thing? The guildmaster does not have many friends he…"

The door abruptly opened, sending Chatot flying into a faraway wall. A furious wigglytuff came out the room.

"Who said I have no friends!?" The guildmaster pompously asked.

Chatot slowly recovered from his flight and returned to the door to apologise.

"I am terribly sorry, guildmaster. I should have acknowledged you do have friends here on the Grass Continent. I only meant that your friends are not here at the moment." Chatot explained.

Wigglytuff quickly became happy as if he just forgot what Chatot said earlier.

"Oh? New friends are still here? What are you waiting for to have some fun at work?" The guildmaster happily asked.

"These children recently met someone in their first mission who wanted to send his regards to you. Do you have any idea who it might be?" Chatot said.

"Hmmm… Nope!" Wigglytuff simply said.

"It was an armaldo and…" Meowth started.

The guildmaster gasped upon hearing the name Armaldo. He quickly returned inside his office and searched in his drawers until he pulled out a bizarre object. It was a small sphere. He caressed it and even rubbed it on his cheek.

"Why do you have a Defend Globe, guildmaster? It only works for bug pokemons." Chatot pointed out.

"Could it be him? It's been a long time since we parted away… When he got arrested…" Wigglytuff whispered.

"Guildmaster? What are you talking about when you say arrested?" Chatot asked, worried.

Wigglytuff jumped over the office to land right in front of his advisor.

"Nothing, Chatot! I have to go now! In my absence, can you please keep an eye on the guild?" Wigglytuff promptly proposed.

Before Chatot could decide, the guildmaster immediately left and went upstairs. The two new recruits looked at each other, unsure of what just happened. Chatot sighed and looked back at the children.

"Children, before you go on your next mission, I would like to make a tour with you of the services offered in town." Chatot proposed.

The children nodded and followed Chatot outside. They walked down the hill and turned right at the crossroad.

"You, Meowth, must already know of the services offered around town. How about you show them to your friend?" Chatot proposed.

Meowth agreed and made a tour of the town starting from the left side of the dirt road.

"First, we have the Marowak Dojo here. You can train to become stronger if certain missions are too much to handle. The building right next to it is the Chansey Daycare. When explorers have children, they let them at the daycare so Chansey can take care of them." Meowth explained.

Meowth did not present the building on the right side yet. They crossed a bridge to get to the other part of town.

"Across the bridge, there are three buildings. First, Xatu's Treasure Opener to the right, as the name says it, allows you to open treasure chests. I'm not sure where to find them." Meowth started.

"Treasure chests can be found during your adventures in mystery dungeons. They are quite rare though but are more likely to be found in faraway dungeons. For each chest, explorers must spend 150 pokes to open them and you can get rare valuable items you will never find in your typical dungeon." Chatot said.

"On the left, the first building is the Kecleon Bros General Merchandise. They sell all sorts of things. The green one sells apples, berries, seeds, orbs, gummis and drinks. The purple one only sells discs but I'm not sure of their use." Meowth started.

"Those discs are Move Discs. With them, you can teach anyone a new move. Here is a little lesson for you children: Buy something from the Kecleon brothers." Chatot ordered.

The group went to see the general merchandise.

"Oh! Hello! So like that, you're now an explorer. That's great! It means more business for us! What are you looking for?" The green kecleon welcomed.

"I would like to buy two apples please." Meowth said.

"That'll be 50 pokes. Thank you for your patronage."

Meowth pulled out some pokes from his bag and put them on the counter. The purple kekleon went inside the store to fetch the apples and brought them on the counter. At the same time, a group of small children, an azurill and a marill, stopped at the shop too.

"Hi! We're here for the apple our mommy asked us to get!" The azurill said.

"Ah yes! The two rill brothers, I have it right here. And please, send our regards to your mother." The green kecleon said as he took an apple, bigger than the ones Meowth just bought, and put it on the counter.

The kecleon even slid a smaller one on top of the bigger one. The rill brothers noticed the small apple.

"Excuse me but our mother asked for one big apple." The marill reminded.

"Yes, yes! But this one is a gift from the house!" The green kecleon replied.

The two rill brothers were happy to have received a free apple and slowly left. The azurill accidentally dropped the small apple on the ground which went rolling toward Cyndaquil. The latter picked it up and gave it back to the azurill.

"Thank you, mister!" The azurill greeted.

The two rills left but Cyndaquil felt strange. Meowth noticed it.

"Cyndaquil? What's wrong?" Meowth asked.

Just like that, Cyndaquil kneeled down and held his head with his two paws as if he was hearing something way too loud. He was trembling but he suddenly stopped and looked at the two rills far away.

"Cyndaquil?" Meowth asked again.

Cyndaquil stood back up and shrugged it. Meowth still saw the worried look on Cyndaquil's face like something bad was about to happen to the rill brothers.

"Those are the rill brothers. Their mother, Azumarill, used to work as a secretary for the guild on the Mist Continent. She married the guildmaster there and had those two adorable children. Unfortunately, the Mist Continent being a dangerous place for children, she moved to the Grass Continent were things are calmer. She sends letters to her husband every week. She recently fell ill so her children are doing her errands." The green kecleon explained.

The group left the general merchandise and visited right next to it.

"This is Kangaskhan's Storage Service. As the name implies, she allows townsfolks to store any item we would like to keep for later." Meowth said.

"Ah! Look at you! You're now a little explorer. How are things at the guild?" The kangaskhan greeted.

"Those children have delivered an outstanding performance on their first mission." Chatot commented.

"Good! What brings you there anyway?"

"I'd like to deposit this seed I found on my adventure." Meowth said as he pulled out a small seed from his bag.

"Yes, a reviver seed, it's a very indispensable item to have with you. I'll keep it safely. I also have storage stations installed all over the Grass Continent thanks to some explorers so you can access your storage everywhere anytime." The kangaskhan taught.

The two children were amazed by this fact. They left the storage and returned to the east side of Treasure town, to the building occupied by an electivire.

"This is Electivire's move shop. You can learn new moves, forget or remember old moves." Meowth said.

"You can also link moves together to use them in quick succession but it depletes them faster." Chatot added.

They went to the last building, owned by a duskull. He was wearing a necklace with a globe attached to it.

"That's the bank. I'll drop our savings there." Meowth said as he gave what remained of their reward to the duskull.

Cyndaquil pointed the necklace but Meowth had no idea what it was.

"That's my Nether Globe. It's a gift from my family who lives on the Sand Continent. They gave me this before I moved here so I won't feel lonely. I hope I'll never lose this or I'll never forgive myself." The banker explained.

Afterward, the group returned to the crossroad where they saw the rill brothers speaking to a drowzee. The drowzee held the two apples that were given to the rill brothers.

"Thanks for helping us with our errand, mister Drowzee." Azurill cheered.

"It's my pleasure. Also, since you two are here, I think I know where your Water Float might have ended up. I saw something inside a small hole at the top of Mount Bristle but I'm too big to fit in. Perhaps your Water Float might be there. Don't worry about the monsters there, I can protect you two." Drowzee brought up.

As the explorers headed to the guild, the others slowly walked away. Cyndaquil accidently bumped in Drowzee. Luckily, the latter did not drop the apples.

"Oh! I am terribly sorry, sir. I hope you are fine." Drowzee apologised.

Cyndaquil nodded at him and they parted way. Before the explorers could reach the gate to the guild, Cyndaquil fell on his knees, holding his head, and moaned in pain, just like earlier. Just like before, it suddenly stopped and Cyndaquil looked at the rill brothers going away of town with the drowzee. The others were worried for the cyndaquil. What were those sudden pains he felt? Nevertheless, the group headed back inside to check on the boards.

"Today, you will go for a bounty." Chatot announced.

They took a look at the bounties. To think all the pokemons displayed on this board were outlaws, Meowth trembled a little bit. A bell rang and the boards flipped sideway.

"Ah! What happened? Where are all the bounties?" Meowth asked.

"Do not worry, children. Dugtrio is updating them via a secret passage. They will be back soon with new ones." Chatot reassured.

True to Chatot's words, the board flipped back with more bounties.

"Let me explain how bounties work. Those are not like regular missions where only one team can take and turn in. One bounty can be taken by everyone but it is forbidden to remove it from the board until said outlaw is brought at the guild to be apprehended by the authorities. Let's take you a bounty." Chatot explained.

They looked at the board. It did not take much time as Meowth gasped to see a bounty in particular:

WANTED

Name: Drowzee

Last seen: Treasure Town, heading toward Mount Bristle

Crime(s): Thievery

Reward: 1500 pokes

"We have to go get that one!" Meowth declared.

"To get to Mount Bristle, leave the town then head north-east east. Be careful not to enter any other dungeon by mistake unless you have an Escape Orb to safely leave." Chatot said.

Meowth took Cyndaquil by the paw and immediately left the guild then the town.

They arrived at the mountain, white walls with a tiny ounce of purple and grey rocky grounds. Fuelled by his dedication to save the rill brothers, Meowth fended his way through the pokemons who dared to cross path with him and his friend. Nothing was match against his constantly growing feeling. Even machops, which they encountered many on the way to the top, did not stand a chance against Meowth despite the type advantage. They rushed through the rocky corridors and finally found an exit to the top. There, they saw the rill brothers with the outlaw. Though, something seemed odd with the situation. There did not seem to be any distress in them.

"I can see a faint blue light in the hole. I can crawl inside." The azurill proposed.

"Be careful, azurill. If you see something dangerous, come back to us quick." Marill said.

The explorers ran toward them. The three others heard their footsteps and turned around. Everything seemed to be fine but why would there be a bounty on the drowzee?

"Ah? Hello again, children. What brings you here?" Drowzee gladly asked.

"You're under arrest!" Meowth declared.

This sudden response confused the three other pokemons. Azurill and Marill looked at Drowzee who was just as confused as the rill brothers.

"Mister Drowzee, what are they talking about?" Azurill asked.

"Get away from him, kids! He's an outlaw, a thief!" Meowth continued.

"I do not know what you are talking about." Drowzee replied, still confused.

"Don't play stupid! You know who you are. There's a bounty on your head."

"A bounty? What did I do?"

"Thievery! There's a bounty on you at the guild for that!"

"But I never stole anything."

The few responses Drowzee gave to the explorers made Meowth question whether or not the bounty was a mistake or if Drowzee was framed for thievery. Though, he did not have time to think when he heard a few voices coming from behind. He looked behind him and saw another team of explorers composed of a gligar, a bagon and a snover. They seemed to be arguing about something.

"I told you not to waste too much time to the shop! Now, there's another team on the bounty!" The gligar said to the bagon."

"Excuse me!? We were out of apples! I had to buy some more, stupid! Besides, I also got these nice drinks in case we run out of moves." The bagon said back to the gligar.

"Guys, check who's there!" The snover yelled, pointing the meowth.

The team looked at the meowth. They walked toward him with each member having an arrogant look on their face and pushed the cyndaquil aside. Meowth alreade knew what they would tell him.

"I didn't know they hired lowlife beggars at the guild. They should've put a bounty on your head but I'm sure you're worth nothing." The gligar mocked.

"I'm sure your friend's also a beggar just like you. I've never seen him before but I'm sure he's no different from you." The bagon mocked at his turn.

"So, you're new into this explorer thing, eh? Let me explains how bounties work: We fight until a team wins. We're Team Rogue and we'll take you down anytime!" Snover threatened.

And just like that, Team Pokepals and Team Rogue engaged in a fight. Team Pokepals was at a disadvantage because they were two against three. Despite that, though, Cyndaquil managed to take the snover out by breathing fire on him. For a cyndaquil, he was able to breathe a lot of fire in a short time, so much it resembled a flamethrower instead of an ember. The snover was engulfed in fire and quickly backed off. He then dropped and rolled to extinguish the fire. He was out of the game. He was too injured to get back in the fight and Team Rogue did not seem to have stocked on oran berries. The bagon charged toward Meowth head first.

"HEADBUTT!" The bagon shouted.

Meowth moved out the way and the bagon tripped on a rock. He was down but not out. Meowth then readied a claw.

"SCRATCH!" Meowth shouted.

His move did some damage but the bagon was still in the game. The bagon looked back at him, smirk on his face.

"BITE!" The bagon shouted.

It thrusted its fang on Meowth's arm and quickly release its prey. Meowth grabbed after his arm to see the marks the bagon left on it. It hurt a lot. He quickly searched in his bag, out of fear, to find something to heal the wound. The bagon was preparing another attack. Meowth pulled out the first item he got his paw on and bit it. He did not notice it was a seed he pulled out. The seed blew up in his face but did not hurt him. It instead knocked out the bagon in front of him. Meowth was impressed that blast seeds were quite efficient for a decent damage output. Though, Team Pokepals did not notice the gligar about to charge at them. The gligar was interrupted by two small jets of water aimed at his face. The gligar wiped his face and looked around him to see the two rill brothers taking a deep breath.

"Gah! You two little brats, we're on your side!" The gligar yelled.

The rill brothers did not listen. They inhaled and stared at the gligar.

"WATER GUN!" The rill brothers shouted.

They fired a blast of water each at the gligar. The latter moved out of the way to avoid the moves.

"What's gotten into your mind!? We're here to save you from that guy!" The gligar said while pointing the drowzee.

"You're not a good person! You're a big meanie!" Azurill answered.

The gligar went to the rill brothers, about to strike them down. The fight was interrupted when a siren could be heard. Everyone looked at the source to see a magnezone with two magnemites. The magnezone was spinning its magnets, flashing red and blue.

"In the name of the law, stop everything you are doing and lay down on the ground!" The magnezone ordered.

The others listened to him. Meowth was not sure what was going on but obliged. The magnezone hovered near the others, with his two magnemites following him. He printed a sheet a paper from his body and held it high above its head.

"There was a mistake in the bounty. Drowzee is not the wanted pokemon. Team Rogue is!" The magnezone announced.

Team Rogue was shocked. They could not object like Drowzee against Team Pokepals. The magnezone was the highest figure of authority on the Grass Continent. Team Rogue had no choice but to surrender. The magnemites took out some cuffs and apprehended the real thieves.

"So you thought you could get away by sabotaging our printers at the office and frame someone else for you crimes, Team Rogue. This is a far worse crime than simple thievery and, with that on your records, your bounty just tripled. You three are under arrest!" The magnezone said.

While the magnemites took away Team Rogue, the magnezone looked back at the others. Everyone stood back up.

"I am terribly sorry, Mr. Drowzee. We did not want to arrest you for any crimes you did not commit." The magnezone apologised.

"I am just glad this is over, sheriff." Drowzee sighed.

Azurill remembered something and went in the hole. The others looked at the hole.

"Sorry, mister Drowzee, my Water Float isn't here but I found something cooler! I can't push it out though!" The azurill's voice spoke.

"Allow me. Perhaps I can pull it out with my magnets if the object is made of metal." The sheriff proposed.

The sheriff pointed his magnets at the hole. He put his energy to his magnets and pulled out what seemed to be a big blue cog with green carvings on it. It emanated a blue light. Azurill left the hole to join the others. Everyone was wowed at their discovery.

"What is this?" Marill asked.

"I do not know but this is marvelous." Drowzee simply said.

"I've never seen such thing." Meowth whispered.

"If someone knows, it might be Chatot at the guild. Explorers, you should take it and show it to him. As for your reward, you can claim it to him." Magnezone proposed.

The sheriff headed out first with his co-workers. Team Pokepals escorted the others back at the crossroad of Treasure Town.

"Thank you for showing up, explorers. Without you, I would've ended up in big trouble in Team Rogue's hands." Drowzee commented.

"Don't mention it. It's our job to help those in need. Again, we're sorry for accusing you of thievery, sir." Meowth replied.

"Please, you were just doing your job as explorers. For saving me and the rill brothers, I would like to give you this."

Drowzee searched in his bag and pulled out a special box he gave to Team Pokepals.

"It's a Link Box. With this, you can link two or more moves together for free to use them in quick succession. It's a single use only so use it wisely." He said.

Team Pokepals thanked Drowzee for the reward and headed inside the guild. They went to meet Chatot who gave them their share of the bounty, 1125 pokes. The two recruits showed him the cog.

"Ah! That is a magnificent looking object you have found. I am not sure what it is yet but I will search in my books tonight. You are dismissed for today. Take some rest." Chatot said.

The two recruits went in the dining room where the other students congratulated him on not only their first bounty claimed but their first battle against a rival team. With their supper eaten, Meowth and Cyndaquil headed to their room.

"That was an exciting day today! I'm looking forward for the next days." Meowth yawned.

Cyndaquil smiled at his friend. They lied down in their pile of hay but someone knocked at their door. It was the stranger.

"I heard you found a cog on Mt. Bristle." The stranger brought up.

"Yeah, we found it in a hole on the top of the mountain. Do you have an idea what it might be?" Meowth explained.

"Interesting… As for the cog itself, it might be a time gear."

"Time gear? If you already know what it was, why not tell Chatot?"

"Yes, from the legends, time gears are said to be created by Dialga, the temporal pokemon. I did not suspect these to exist nor to be found that easily. I can't tell everyone I meet about that unfortunately."

"But why me?"

"That is for another day."

"Okay but what do you think they do?"

"As the name suggest, they must control time and ensure it would not freeze. I just hope those are just regular treasure or the worst might be ongoing."

"What do you mean?"

"If a time gear is taken away from its original place, this part of the world will slowly freeze in time."

"Ahhhh! We should put it back where we found it in that case!"

"Do not worry. You did not take it away from its original place. The wrong must have already been done. Have you appeared to have met a pokemon guarding it?"

"Now that you mentioned it, there was no one opposing us to take it… unless we count Team Rogue."

"I doubt they would guard it for a reason other than to sell it. That is all I wanted to ask you."

"Wait! I have something in my bag I'd like to show you since you seem to know about strange things and I don't know what it is." Meowth brought up as he pulled the rock he held on for years.

The stranger examined the rock. He was surprised to see it in the hand of a commoner like Meowth.

"No… That's impossible… Could it really be… a relic fragment. But, of all the pokemons he could have chosen to fill this prophecy, why in his hands? How did he fail?" The stranger whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Meowth asked.

"Nothing for now. Keep holding on that rock until I need to see you again. That might be the answer to the cog you just found. Good night." The stranger concluded as he immediately left the room.

The two recruits were not sure what just happened but they were too tired to feel concerned. They fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Gatekeepers**

"IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP, EVERYBODY! IT'S A BRAND NEW DAY FULL OF ADVENTURES!" Loudred's voice announced.

The two new recruits woke up, dizzied by the loud voice waking them up once again. They got back their sense and left their room to meet up with the others in the lower main room. Like the other days, the three first rules of the guilds were recited, a morning routine to remind the students of the importance of their work. Afterward, the students left to the upper main room but the new recruits stayed behind. Chatot had something to say to them.

"Children! Today, you will be doing something much different compared to what you did the other days. Come with me." Chatot announced.

The two recruits followed Chatot to a special room where Dugtrio was. There was a desk with many books put on it. Two levers were on the opposite side of this tiny room. A board with all the same bounties as the one in the upper main room was also attached to the wall.

"You remember I presented you Dugtrio, do you? Today, you will help our workers at the guild with various tasks. This morning, you will work the gate and inspect every non-member of the guild that stands on the wire rack. Dugtrio will explain everything to you. See you later." Chatot concluded before leaving.

"Welcome, children. Every day, pokemons come to the guild to place a mission request, deliver food or to join the guild. You will inspect them with the help of the documents on this desk over here. Don't forget to take a look at this board in case you come across an outlaw." Dugtrio explained.

Meowth took a seat near the desk. Cyndaquil had to leave and come back with a seat since there was only one place. On the desk, a book of pokemon footprints was placed next to a pile of sheets that stated the rules of inspection. Above them, they could see the wire rack and just in front of the desk a chute was in the wall.

"Someone should arrive soon. Once the pokemon walks on the wire rack, tell that pokemon to stand still on it. Most townsfolks already know the procedure but you might come across some pokemons who doesn't know about it." Dugtrio told to the recruits.

They heard footsteps and looked above. They saw silhouettes of feet walking on the wire rack.

"Stand right on the wire rack, please!" Meowth yelled.

The feet silhouettes stopped right above them.

"Once you have the pokemon on the wire rack, you look in the book to identify the pokemon then look at the bounties in case it is an outlaw. Aftward, you must ask the pokemon about his business." Dugtrio explained.

Cyndaquil opened the book and looked through the pages. With how fast he was turning the pages, either he was very knowledgeable of the different footprints or he was clueless. Though, the former seemed more plausible than the latter as Cyndaquil landed on a page depicting footprints of a croagunk. Dugtrio looked at the page and confirmed it. Meowth then looked at the bounties. No croagunk appeared on any of the bounties. He looked back above.

"Welcome to the guild, Mr. Croagunk. What is your business here today?" Meowth asked.

"I'm here to establish a new service in the guild." The croagunk answered.

Dugtrio did not say anything. Maybe Meowth had to let the croagunk him but, before he could say anything, Cyndaquil took him by the shoulder and showed him a document. One of the rules stated as follow:

"All pokemons who wish to establish a business in the guild must have an approval from the guildmaster or his advisor as well as a business card."

Meowth read the rule and told the croagunk about it.

"Ah yes! I have all the papers required right here. Where do I deposit them?" Croagunk asked.

"Just put them in our mailbox." Meowth answered.

"If you say so."

They heard something bumping into metallic walls until some papers came flying out of the chute. They landed right in front of Meowth. Cyndaquil checked through the documents and pulled out one with pictures of the documents that were just given to them. Those documents stated how certain papers should be to meet the standards of the guild. The documents they received indeed met the standards. With everything checked. Meowth looked around and saw the two levers. One was written "complies" under it while the other was written "outlaw". Meowth then looked at Dugtrio who nodded. Meowth pulled the "complies" lever.

"Everything is in order, Mr. Croagunk. The guild is looking forward for your services. Enjoy your stay." Meowth declared.

They heard something moving, certainly the gate, and the feet silhouettes left the wire rack. Meowth pulled back the lever to close the gae once Croagunk entered the guild. A few minutes later, another set of feet moved onto the wire rack and stood there. Cyndaquil looked through the book and identified the footprints as Drowzee's.

"Good morning, Drowzee. What brings you here today?" Meowth asked.

"Oh? I remember your voice. You are the pokemons who saved me yesterday. Anyway, I would like to put a notice concerning the rill brothers' lost Water Float." Drowzee answered.

Cyndaquil looked through the documents and pulled out one with the following rule written on it:

"All pokemons who wish to place a mission request must have a written paper. They cannot enter the guild until the mission is ready to be turned in."

"You must have a paper with you about the missing Water Float, right?" Meowth asked.

"Yes, I'll put it in the mailbox right away." Drowzee replied.

Another paper came out of the chute. Meowth read it. Cyndaquil could not find any document about mission requests so Dugtrio stepped in to help the recruits.

"Do not worry about mission requests. If they have enough information, we can take them right away and put them on the mission board." Dugtrio stated.

"We'll be looking for your Water Float, Mr. Drowzee. Once the guild finds it, we'll invite you inside the guild." Meowth said.

"Thank you. With that done, have a nice day." Drowzee bid.

The feet left the wire rack. A bell rang.

"Ah! The explorers are back. Pull the gate lever up. I'll go upstairs and do the inspection by myself up close." Dugtrio ordered.

Meowth pulled the gate lever and Dugtrio left the post. They felt an earthquake that must have lasted a few seconds the first time. The earthquake would come and go many times until Dugtrio returned to his post. The rest of the morning was calm. Some people came to deposit mission requests, a few others signed in to join the guild. Near noon, a horn was sounded.

"Your morning shift is over, children. It's lunchtime. Return to Chatot for your duties." Dugrtio announced.

Meowth and Cyndaquil left the post and went to the dining room. Unlike the evening, not many pokemons were there. Only Chimeco, Chatot and the guildmaster were present. Dugtrio arrive with a diglett. They all ate. After lunch, Chatot went to see the children.

"I have some great news, children. You delivered an outstanding performance at sentry duty. For this afternoon, go see Chimeco for the second part of your day. We'll see each other later at supper." Chatot told.

The children stayed behind at the dining room where most adults, and the diglett, left the room. Only Chimeco stayed behind too. She picked up a broom and went to see the children.

"Good afternoon, children! You'll help me with my tasks, right?" She asked.

The two new recruits nodded.

"Good! You, Cyndaquil, here's a broom. Go clean the dining room and report back once done. Meowth, I want you to help me with the meals for this afternoon." Chimeco ordered as she gave the broom to Cyndaquil.

The two recruits got at work. Cyndaquil sweeped the floor with his broom and put the inedible leftovers and some dust in a corner of the room. He went to the kitchen and came back with a dust door to pick up the garbage easier. A grimer arrived into the dining room.

"Hello! You must be helping Chimeco with her chores, right?" The grimer asked.

Cyndaquil nodded. Chimeco looked outside the kitchen and saw the grimer.

"Hi, Grimer! Yes, he's helping me with my chores. Children, this is Grimer. He takes care of disposing of the town's garbage. Cyndaquil, you can tell him when you're done with the sweeping, you can tell him. He'll take care of the rest." Chimeco replied.

Cyndaquil was just done with his chore when Grimer arrived. He thumbed up at the grimer who picked up the unwanted garbage and ate it. He then left the dining room. Cyndaquil returned to Chimeco and Meowth. They just started the evening meal. Meowth was slicing apples while Chimeco was baking some bread.

"Cyndaquil, just in time! Since you're a fire pokemon, I'll let you man the oven. I'll prepare the table for our guests." Chimeco said.

Cyndaquil went to the oven and kept an eye on the bread. He occasionally heated up the oven with a weak fire type move to prevent it of losing temperature. Chimeco left the kitchen with many dishes and plates and put them on the long table in the dining room. She returned in the kitchen to supervise the new recruits. She did not give any advice to them but stayed nearby in case something went wrong. Contrary to her expectations, the new recruits managed to cook the food without either accidentally cutting themselves or burning the bread. They served the food on the table, just in time as the other members, Chatot and the guildmaster, just entered the room starving. They all sat down around the table, ready to eat. They seemed to be savouring what they were served. Meowth and Cyndaquil, sat right next to each other, nodded at each other. They succeeded their afternoon task. Chimeco confessed in front of everyone the new recruits made everything. The other guild members were surprised. This nearly rivaled Chimeco's talents. Nonetheless, they congratulated the new recruits and gave them their compliments. Later in the night, the new recruits headed at their room until…

"Over here, children!" A voice spoke.

They looked at the office's door and saw Chatot standing right in front of it. They went to see him.

"I am terribly sorry but we cannot use the office tonight to speak of your day. The guildmaster has some special visit at the moment. Instead, I'll meet you in your room if this does not bother you." Chatot proposed.

Meowth and Cyndaquil nodded and turned around. Something caught Meowth's attention. A new kiosk was built on the other side of the lower main room, right next to the door toward the dining room. The croagunk they let in this morning just finished establishing his business. Meowth wanted to welcome the newcomer but was barred by Chatot with one of his wings.

"We'll have plenty of time to present the new pokemon and his service to the guild tomorrow morning. For tonight, our discussion is top priority." Chatot reminded.

The trio headed to the recruits' room. Meowth and Cyndaquil sat down on their pile of hays while Chatot pulled out some papers from his feathers.

"Alright, I will say you this for starters: you were evaluated on your performances of your jobs today. I have asked Dugtrio and Chimeco to evaluate you two and… You passed both tests. Congratulation! For your hard-work, your first successful mission and bounty, you have earned the bronze rank." Chatot announced.

"Bronze rank? But I thought there were only three ranks, you know, student, explorer and wanderer." Meowth pointed out.

"Ah yes! Those are in fact degrees. In each degree, there are ranks. Students have normal, bronze, silver and gold. Explorers have platinum and diamond. Wanderers also share the diamond rank with explorers but have master and grandmaster ranks. Everyone starts at normal rank, including you two. Recently, you have proven yourselves worthy of the bronze rank." Chatot explained.

The advisor then searched in his feather again and pulled out two bronze badges and gave them to the new recruits. In exchange, Meowth and Cyndaquil gave back their normal badges.

"May you strive further in your duties and rise up in ranks. Good night children." Chatot concluded as he closed the door and left.

"Wow! New ranks, I can't believe it!" Meowth exclaimed.

Cyndaquil was also happy but could not speak. He instead smiled at his friend and raised his paw high, at his head's level. Meowth looked at the paw for a moment. It was the first time he would ever high five a pokemon. He raised his own paw and, with all his strength, slapped Cyndaquil's paw. He felt it in his heart: the friendship, the teamwork. He shredded a tear for this moment he would treasure all his life. They both lied down.

"Cyndaquil… I've noticed something the first time we met that stranger. You seemed worried about him." Meowth brought up.

Cyndaquil looked at Meowth and tilted his head.

"You always looked weird when he stared at you. Do you think he could be one of your friends looking for you?" Meowth asked.

Cyndaquil declined by shaking his head. He then had an annoyed look on his face. Meowth could tell from Cyndaquil's face that, if the stranger was really one of his friends, he would not mask himself like that.

"I know but you don't remember your past. Maybe he could be your friend but can't show himself publicly because of something you and he did in the past. Or, maybe he's just waiting the right moment to do so." Meowth pointed out.

Cyndaquil brushed the though away and fell asleep. Meowth still thought about it before finally going to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The First Official Exploration**

"WAKE UP, EVERYONE! THERE'S AN EXCITING NEW FOR EVERYONE AT THE GUILD!" Loudred's voice announced.

The new recruits woke up, slowly as usual since Loudred voice always dizzied pokemons. They left their main room and headed to the lower main room. Everyone was already there waiting after Chatot to announce the new. Cyndaquil and Meowth might already know what it was about.

"Hello, everyone! I'd like to announce you of a new service offered at the guild. Without further ado, I'll let Mr. Croagunk speak of his future contribution to explorers." Chatot said.

Coming from the dining room, a croagunk showed up. He stood right next to his kiosk which had a cauldron. Everyone gathered around him. They all wondered what the cauldron was for.

"Ah, greetings! I am Mr. Croagunk from the Mist Continent. Have you ever seen trinkets in your career as explorers?" Croagunk asked, with his hands in front of his mouth, each digit repeatedly tapping on its corresponding digit.

His sinister look made the students flinch a little. They were a bit scared of the new pokemon who just showed up like that in their guild. The confusing question made the others question of his usefulness and contribution to the guild. They all looked at each other, unsure of what trinkets were. Croagunk snapped his fingers to get back everyone's attention. He then put his hands behind his back and slowly walked around, examining each and every member of the guild. When he approached Loudred and Sunflora, his cheeks instantly expanded. He suddenly stopped on his track.

"You two there! You have trinkets on you. I can feel that." Croagunk joyfully muttered.

"Hum… What are you talking about?" Loudred asked, a tone lower than usual.

"Have you come across items you never found the Kekleon brothers selling?" Croagunk asked back.

"Now that you mention it, we did find some strange items like crests, claws and fangs. We had no idea what they were and the kecleons brothers didn't want to buy them so we kept them as souvenirs." Sunflora brought up as she searched her bag."

She pulled out a few items and gave them to Croagunk. The latter was excited.

"Ah yes! Those are what I'm talking about." Croagunk declared.

He slowly returned to his cauldron and ditched the items in. Everyone was shocked.

"HEY! YOU JUST WASTED OUR TREASURES!" Loudred objected.

Loudred tried to reach the cauldron but was held by Chatot who then scolded him. Croagunk took a big wooden spoon and stirred the cauldron. Everyone stared at the cauldron with interest. An explosion of purple smoke floated upward from the cauldron. Croagunk had to lean back a little to not get caught in the cloud. He then leaned back forward and plunged his hand into the cauldron and pulled out a bangle. Everyone was amazed at the results. A few ooos were let out.

"Guess it's your lucky day, punk. Your trinkets just made a Nice Bangle." Croagunk announced, eyes closed as he approached Loudred.

"Nice Bangle? What's that?" Loudred confusedly asked as he took the new trinket and examined it.

"It's a loudred exclusive item that prevents you of being affected by the sleep status." Croagunk explained.

Chatot handed off Loudred who immediately hugged the new member. Loudred held Croagunk high in his arms and even rubbed his cheek on him.

"YOU'RE THE BEST THING EVER!" Loudred exclaimed.

"Remember, everyone, your friend over here was lucky. My cauldron does not always give what you want so it is important to share with others. If you are not sure of a trinket's effect, you can always seek my knowledges." Croagunk said.

Everyone applauded and returned to Chatot to recite the three fundamental rules of the guild as usual. Afterward, Meowth and Cyndaquil saw the stranger coming back, surely from a long expedition. The stranger went to see Croagunk and dumped some trinkets into the cauldron. Like before, Croagunk used his magic to create a new trinket. He pulled out a new one from the cauldron but did not seem as enthusiastic as when Loudred tried it.

"I am sorry, sir, but your trinkets made a Meowth Claw which I am sure is not compatible with you." Croagunk sadly announced.

The stranger nodded and took the new trinket. He then gave it to Meowth.

"You're giving me this?" Meowth asked.

"It's a gift for you." The stranger answered.

"Thanks… but, since you're here, what was the thing you mumbled the other day about a prophecy?"

"I have to go."

"Wait!"

The stranger did not listen and was already gone before Meowth could say anything else. Who was that pokemon anyway? Why did it always talk about strange things? And what was that prophecy thing? Nonetheless, Chatot went to see the new recruits.

"Hello, children! Now that you have reached the bronze rank, you can now accept rank D missions and take bounties between 5000 and 10000 pokes. For today, however, I have a special mission just for you two. Follow me to my office." Chatot brought up.

The new recruits followed Chatot to the office. Inside, the guildmaster was playing with a remarkably big able, slightly bigger than him. Compared to the children, the apple was very big, even bigger than the biggest one they saw the rill brothers bringing to their mother. Chatot walked around the desk while Team Pokepals took seat. Chatot then pulled out some papers from a drawer and put them on the desk.

"All our high-ranked teams as well as the other students are already on duty so I summoned you two for this. Do not worry about the mission. You should be able to do it. We have received reports of a possible mystery dungeon hidden somewhere near a waterfall to the east-northeast of the town. I would like you two to investigate on the possibility of such information. Here is the mission request." Chatot explained as he handed over a paper with the following information:

Client: Grass Continent Guild

Location: Waterfall to the east-northeast of Treasure Town

Difficulty: D (estimated)

Reward: 2500 pokes, reviver seed, sitrus berry

Description: A mystery dungeon might be found somewhere near the waterfall. Please investigate to confirm its presence.

"Grass Continent guild? You mean there are more guilds?" Meowth asked.

"Yes, there is a guild for every continent. Do you accept the mission?" Chatot asked back.

"Sure, we'll take it."

"Great! Now, here's a towel for you, Cyndaquil, in case you get wet. You can't use fire-type moves if there is too much water on your fur. And with that, good luck!" Chatto bid.

Team Pokepals made its way out the guild and went to the crossroad. The southwest spot of the crossroad now had stairs leading downward with a sign right next to it that read "Spinda's Café: Where we reward our client with hopes and dreams".

"Hey! We can take a look at that new place before heading out. What do you think, Cyndaquil?" Meowth proposed.

Cyndaquil nodded and they both entered Spinda's Café. Inside, a spinda greeted them into this vast underground fancy-looking café where many pokemon were already drinking juice.

"Good morning and welcome to my café! Follow me and I'll assign you a place to sit. I'm Spinda by the way!" The spinda greeted.

The two students followed the owner to a table in the middle of the room. They sat down at the table.

"Someone will come take your orders soon." The spinda said before going back to the entrance to greet more people.

A few seconds later, a whynaut went to see the students.

"Hello! Here are menus for you to choose amongst our nutricious beverages!" the waiter welcomed as he put two menus on the table.

The menus had many drinks Team Pokepals never saw before. After all, they only satiated their thirst with water from the well.

"Shall I give you some time to choose?" he continued.

"I think we'll choose now. We have to go on a mission after." Meowth brought up.

"Shall we order for takeout?" the waiter proposed.

"Yes please. I'll take a… Hum… Oran juice please. My friend here can't speak so he'll show you his choice." Meowth ordered.

Cyndaquil looked at the front page of the menu and ordered a cherrie juice by pointing it on the menu. The waiter took notes on a small notepad.

"Excellent! That'll be 100 pokes! I'll be back with your drinks!" the whynaut concluded before leaving the table.

While waiting for their drinks, the students took a look around. They loved the oak-like interior of the café which brought a sense of life like the crowd inside. There was also a counter where pokemons could sit at and look at a wobbufet, noticeably a female with the lipstick on the mouth, preparing the beverages. A few minutes later, the waiter came back with the drinks and Meowth paid him. The students left but not before being intercepted by the owner.

"Thank you for your visit! You can also bring your own berries and donate them to the café to have a first free drink and pay half the price for the other ones. Have a nice day!" The spinda bid.

With that, Meowth and Cyndaquil left the café and the town, drinking their freshly made beverage.

They arrived at the waterfall in question but nothing seemed to indicate an entrance to a mystery dungeon beside a rocky path leading into the waterfall. The students walked on the rocky path until they reached the waterfall. From where they were, they could touch the thick layer of ever flowing water falling down from the sky from their point of view. Meowth took the occasion to wash his fur while Cyndaquil stared at him. The latter was about to do the same, out of instinct, but, as he was about to rub some water on his fur, he fell on his knees. He held his head and trembled. He screamed, terrifying his friend. Meowth kneeled down.

"Cyndaquil, what's happening to you!? Meowth asked worried.

And all of a sudden, his friend stopped. He slowly stood back up, staring at the waterfall. He backed up. Something from this waterfall could have scared him. Meowth was already aware that Cyndaquil was weak to water but never expected it at this point. Contrary to his thought, Cyndaquil ran toward the waterfall.

"Cyndaquil! What are you…" Meowth started.

He tried to grab after his friend to prevent the later of making a huge mistake but he failed. Cyndaquil jumped into the waterfall. Some water splashed around. Meowth started panicking. What took Cyndaquil to jump like that? He quickly walked in circle, thinking of a way to rescue him. Though, a geo pebble came out the waterfall and landed near Meowth. Could this be a sign? Meowth stared at the pebble and slowly put his sight on the waterfall. He backed up to have a more general view of the water wall. He took deep breaths, closed his eyes, and lowered his head. He mustered his courage and then ran toward the waterfall. He jumped into it. As soon as he passed the water, the landmark changed from brightful orange rocks to deep blue ones. Though, Meowth was not on safe ground. He was still in the air. He grabbed after a ledge and quickly pulled himself up. On safe ground, he saw his friend lied down and coughing. Cyndaquil was completely wet so Meowth immediately pulled out the towel and wrapped it around his friend.

"There, there, don't push yourself too far. Just follow me. I'll take care of the rest." Meowth reassured.

He then helped his friend stand back up. Cyndaquil pulled out a pencil and a notepad. They would have to take notes for when they would report the discovery to the guild. Meowth went ahead into a deep blue rocky corridor with his friend following him behind taking notes. It was indeed a mystery dungeon due to the strange same feeling both Meowth and Cyndaquil got from the Beach Cave. This mystery dungeon had many water-type pokemons, forcing Cyndaquil to keep his distances. This place was mostly a test to see if Meowth could defend himself and his new friend. Large bodies of water surrounded thin paths. Sometimes, Meowth had to carry his friend on his back to cross some bodies due to the absence of paths. He had to be careful while swimming because he could not use any moves without risking his friend's safety. Eventually, they reached what seemed to be a T-junction. On the wall at the junction, a remarkably big red gem was stuck. The two other paths looked like endless corridors. The explorers examined the gem and tried to pull it out the wall. It was stuck. They let it go and Meowth looked at his friend who was having another headache. The more it happened, the less worried Meowth was becoming. It would have to be a habit for him since those headaches seemed to give Cyndaquil a sixth sense. Meowth realized it when Cyndaquil made contact with the rill brothers and Drowzee. Cyndaquil must have seen that they would be in danger. The waterfall part also contributed to this.

"What did you see?" Meowth asked.

Cyndaquil showed it by pushing on the gem. Meowth tilted his head, confused. Pushing it would definitively not get it out. Oddly enough, the gem moved. An earthquake started. The path from where the explorers came closed itself with a giant rocky wall. They looked around and saw a mass of water moving fast. They took a deep breath before the water reached them. They got carried away for a very long distance until they were carried upward. They were ejected from a geyser and landed in what seemed to be a hot spring. Some pokemons picked them up. Cyndaquil was immediately put on the side of the spring and a new towel was given to him.

"That was quite an entrance! Where do you two come from?" A torkoal laughed.

"We were investigating a dungeon behind a waterfall and we found ourselves here. Do you know where we are?" Meowth shortly explained.

"You are at the hot spring, far east of Treasure Town." The torkoal answered.

The explorers took a break while drying out. Meowth and Cyndaquil sat at the edge of the hot spring.

"How long was this spring built?" Meowth asked.

"Oh? It was quite recent. It must have been a few weeks. Some explorers discovered it and everyone in town uses it to relax. The road to the spring is not dangerous as it does not go through any mystery dungeons." The torkoal explained.

"I should think of stopping here more often."

"You should. It is great for the body and mind."

Team Pokepals headed out once Cyndaquil was completely dried out. Back at the guild, they immediately went to see Chatot and reported on the discovery. The advisor was in the guildmaster's office with the guildmaster himself.

"Excellent! I knew there was something around here. Here's your reward as promised. You are dismissed for tonight. See you tomorrow morning." Chatot congratulated as he handed over the reward.

Before the explorers left, Cyndaquil looked at Wigglytuff.

"Is there something I can do for you friends?" The latter ask.

There was a brief moment of silence but the guildmaster gasped.

"Ah yes! I've been behind the waterfall, pushed the gem and found myself at the spring! Good memories indeed!" He let out.

"Wait! You mean I sent them on a mission for nothing!?" Chatot asked.

"No exploration is for nothing, Chatot! If they would not have explored it on a mission, they would've done it for fun!" The guildmaster cheered.

Chatot sighed out of exasperation. The explorers went to their rooms. They met the stranger on their way.

"A mystery dungeon behind a waterfall, that sounds like a clever place to hide a time gear." The stranger confessed.

"There wasn't anything of interest in there, not even a sign that a time gear could've been there. Since you're here…" Meowth began.

"Not now, children. I need some sleep and so do you two." The stranger interrupted and quickly vanished into the main hall.

"Argh! He can't just run away like that! How rude!" Meowth declared.

Cyndaquil took Meowth by the shoulder and Meowth brushed the thought away. The explorers went to their room and lied down in their beds.

"Our first real exploration… That was really great. I hope we get to explore more places like that one." Mewoth whispered before falling asleep.

Cyndaquil stayed awake for a bit. He stared at the corridor where they talked to the stranger. He was still thinking about the stranger and what Meowth said yesterday. Maybe Meowth was right and that stranger was his friend. He could not prove it yet. He would have to wait and find a way to remember his friend. Cyndaquil rolled the other way and went to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Team Skull**

"WAKE UP, EVERYONE! THERE'S ANOTHER EXCITING NEW FOR EVERYONE AT THE GUILD!" Loudred's voice announced.

The explorers woke up and quickly went to the lower main room. As opposed to the other day, they got used to Loudred's voice and finally woke without being dizzied. As usual, Chatot and the guildmaster were already here waiting after their students.

"Good morning, students! I have something to announce. In the following days, we will be evaluating you by your performances, your dedication and your attitude. The team who wins may accompany me and the guildmaster to our next expedition which will be soon." Chatot announced.

The students could not be any happier. Going on exploration along with the founders of the guild was one thing. Going on an expedition was another completely different thing. Both together, they fuelled the students' determination to do better than their best. All the students went upstairs. Meowth and Cyndaquil were browsing the missions and bounties until…

"Look who'gh there, Ghubat!" An unwelcome voice spoke.

"Not him again, and now he'z an explorer?!" Another unwelcome voice spoke.

Meowth looked toward and saw Koffing and Zubat again.

"What are you two doing here?" Meowth asked.

"Ush? We're an exshploration team, shtupid!" Koffing rudely answered.

"Yeah, we do mizzionz juzt like you! But we're zilver rank unlike you who are normal rank!" Zubat added.

"Bronze rank." Meowth replied.

"Oh? You heard that, Ghubat? He'gh bronghe rank."

"Off courze he iz."

Meowth chose to ignored them and went back to check the boards with Cyndaquil.

"Hey! You can't jusht ignore ugh like that, eshpechially not after how you humiliated ush back at Beach Cave!" Koffing objected.

"Zinze you're here, It'z time for a little payback." Zubat sinisterly proposed.

"We already beat you, guys! And the rules forbid fights inside the guild."

"shoundsh like shomeone'sh a shcaredy meowth!" Koffing mocked.

"You think you can beat uz? We weren't even trying back there! Pluz, we have another member, our bozz, who wazn't with us that day and…" Zubat threatened.

It was obvious that Zubat was trying to be though by talking big but meowth read through his words. Just by giving Zubat a slightly more menacing look, the latter became nervous. A skuntank entered the upper main room and purposely bumped into the two troublemakers. It seemed like a Good Samaritan at first. Zubat let out a short scream and turned around. When he saw what bumped into him, he slowly turned around chuckling.

"Zpeaking of him, here'z our bozz, Zkuntank." Zubat presented.

Zubat and Koffing stood aside, chuckling. The skuntank approached Team Pokepals. The two students began smelling an unbearable stench. Without warning, Skuntank fired a blast of purple gas from his long tail at Cyndaquil, knocking the latter unconscious. Meowth looked at his friend being sent away to hit a wall and fall down on the floor. He looked back at the skuntank.

"Move aside, twerp. You don't wanna end up like your loser friend, do you?" Skuntank threatened.

Meowth wanted to move aside but he could not. He felt his muscles shaking. He also felt something he never felt before. He first thought it was fear but he did not seem to be scared of Skuntank. One thing for sure, it nailed him on place, barring the skuntank to harm Cyndaquil any further. Skuntank became angrier and was about to attack again but…

"Hey! That's no way to treat a fellow member inside the guild!" A voice yelled.

Corphish arrived and stood with Meowth. Skuntank chuckled when he saw the little lobster-like pokemon barring the path.

"More of you vermins? I can take you on everyday so don't throw your dignity away." Skuntank warned.

"That just ain't right! No varmint is gonna hurt my friends like that!" Bidoof shouted then stood with Meowth and Corphish.

"You kids don't learn…" Skuntank whispered.

"Oh my gosh! You didn't just do that!" Sunflora furiously said and joined her friends.

"A nearly graduating student? No sweat." Skuntank taunted.

"DID YOU THINK WE'D TURN A BLIND EYE ON THAT!?" Loudred shouted and immediately stood by the explorers.

Skuntank began shaking. Strength in number seemed to be working against him. However, Skuntank back up a little bit and…

"YOU WANNA GET BEATEN RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW?! WISH GRANTED!" Skuntank hysterically screamed as he pointed his tail at the group.

Something pulled on Skuntank's tail preventing him to aim at the group. Everyone looked at the tail and saw the stranger grabbing it. No one expected him to still be at the guild at this time. The stranger always left earl in the morning and returned late in the night.

"Lay a paw on them, I dare you." The stranger whispered.

"Who you think you are to interrupt me like that?" Skuntank pompously asked.

The stranger pulled out his diamond badge. Skuntank gasped when he realized he was dealing with a wanderer. He laid down his fighting spirit and the stranger let him go. Skuntank went to the ladder with his minions but looked back at everyone.

"Team Skull, remember that name! You're all lucky to have that freak with you! When you're gonna leave town, you're gonna regret it." Skuntank warned before climbing up the ladder with his minions.

"Don't expect to be welcomed gently on your next visits. Your actions won't go unpunished." The stranger calmly said.

Team Skull left the building. All the members of the guild looked at Meowth who sat down on the floor crying.

"Sunflora, you must be able to extract the poison inside Cyndaquil. Take care of him." The stranger ordered.

Sunflora nodded and took Cyndaquil with her and went to her room. As for the others, they went to see what was wrong with Meowth. On first sight, he might be crying for having felt powerless against Team Skull. His response to the others attending to him proved otherwise.

"Thank you…" Meowth whispered.

"I'll bring Meowth back to his room. You three go report to Chatot about Skuntank's act." The stranger ordered.

Bidoof, Corphish and Loudred nodded and left the upper main room by the ladder going downstairs. The stranger took Meowth with his cloaked arms and put him on his back. They went downstairs and to Meowth's room where the stranger put Meowth on his pile of hay. He sat down next to him to comfort him. Meowth leaned on the stranger and hugged him.

"I've never had so many friends in my life. I remember not long ago I was lonely and rejected. When I met Cyndaquil, it all changed. I only needed one friend to be welcomed in Treasure Town. Everyone changed their attitude toward me. They all wanted to speak to me. Before that, they all ignored me or even insulted me." Meowth cried.

"It's alright, Meowth. Your friend is being treated for the poison he breathed in." The stranger told.

"Thank you all…" Meowth whispered again.

"It reminds me. I came here with a friend via boat. We got caught up into a storm and we got separated."

"Is your friend a cyndaquil. He's looking for someone I'm sure of it."

"No… My friend is a quilava."

"I see…"

"Do you want to know about the prophecy I whispered about the other day?"

"Yes, please…"

"The prophecy goes as follow:

"Arceus, creator of life, would foresee oncoming disasters that would happen at given times. He would hide away an artifact for each disaster that would the key to stop it. He knew exactly where to hide his artifacts and who would find them. That is how he chose his heroes. A pokemon, unaware of the artifact's presence, would stumble upon it and thus everything would be revealed through dreams. This chosen pokemon would set off to seek Arceus through his dreams to know of his duty as a chosen one. Afterward, the chosen pokemon would complete his quest…"

That is how the prophecy is told."

"Was that what the rock I found was about? Do you work for him by any mean?" Meowth asked.

"Yes, the relic fragment you have is related to that prophecy, same for the time gear you found back on Mount Bristle. I am not related to him in any way despite our common goal. I am here to ensure you fulfill this prophecy."

"Speaking of dreams, I had a few dreams a long time ago about the world turning grey. What does that mean?"

"This must be the consequence of moving the time gears away from their former place or what will happen if you fail. Anything else?"

"No…"

"I see…"

The other students came in Meowth's room to check on their fellow member.

"Thank you all…" Meowth thanked again.

"Don't mention it, partner. We just did our job." Bidoof replied.

"Hey! We wouldn't let you face that jerk all by yourself. We're like a family and we stand together against pokemons like him." Corphish added.

"WE REPORTED IT TO CHATOT! TEAM SKULL'S GONNA MET HIM TOMORROW MORNING! HE'S GIVING YOU AND CYNDAQUIL THE DAY OFF!" Loudred brought up.

"Where's Cyndaquil?" Meowth asked.

"He's in Sunflora's room. He's fine now." Corphish answered.

Everyone left Meowth alone while the latter stayed in his room until Cyndaquil joined him. They went to the café to drink some juice and lied down on the beach for the rest of the day. In the evening, they tried out Marowak's dojo to make sure not to rust for their next adventure snce they did not go on a mission today. They returned to the guild to sleep.

The next day, it was the routine as usual. Though, this time, Team Skull arrived in the lower main room and followed Chatot inside his office. Before entering, Skuntank saw Team Pokpals and gave a threatening look at them. Once the door closed, Meowth and Cyndaquil stood next to the door to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"I'M WHAT!?" Skuntank's voice yelled.

"Following a situation that happened yesterday morning, the guildmaster and I have no other choice but to revoke your title as an exploration team. Until you make amend to Team Pokepals and turn yourselves in to pay the fine for assault because you also committed a crime against Treasure Town's laws, you will be forbidden to come back inside the guild." Chatot's voice explained.

"They started it! They insulted my friends here!"

"Multiple eye witnesses, including a wanderer, say otherwise. And even if they insulted you, you behavior was improper to our code of conduct. You should've reported it to me to find an arrangement between your team and theirs."

"Are you really gonna listen to that cloaked freak!? He doesn't even show his face to anyone around! I'm sure he's a criminal! I could denounce you to the other guilds for that!"

"Wanderers are highly ranked and fully trustworthy pokemons contributing to the Grass Continent pokemons beyond the possible. As for him in particular, if he was a criminal as you suspect, we would've known way before you brought it up. We already saw his face and he does not appear on any bounty board. Now, please leave my office. I have other businesses to attend to."

Meowth and Cyndaquil took the precaution to back away from the door and hide. The door violently opened and smashed on the wall damaging both. Team Skull left the office. Before leaving the guild, they thrashed the ladder out of rage and revenge. Chatot left the office and got infuriated when he saw all the damage Team Skull caused but quickly calmed down when he saw Team Pokepals.

"Ah! Children, just in time! How are you today?" Chatot asked.

"We're fine!" Meowth answered.

Cyndaquil just nodded to approve.

"Great! I'm glad Sunflora was able to heal you. Come right in! I have a special task for you two." Chatot said.

They all entered the office and took seat. The guildmaster seemed sad today.

"What's wrong with the guildmaster?" Meowth asked.

"I'm glad you noticed that, children. We are out of perfect apples, the guildmaster's favorite food. We always send a team of explorers in the Apple Woods to get some. This time, we'll be sending you two there. Here's the mission request." Chatot told as he handed the students a paper with the following information on it:

Client: Wigglytuff

Location: Apple Woods (12th floor)

Difficulty: D

Reward: 5000 pokes, joy seed, life seed

Description: Please, get me some perfect apples. I have no more and I'm sad.

"Do you accept the mission?" Chatot asked.

Team Pokepal accepted. The guildmaster regained his smile and jumped around in the office. He hugged Team Pokepals.

"Thank you, friends! Thank you!" He kept saying.

"Excellent! Apple Woods is east of the waterfall right after Oran Forest. Be careful though. I'm sure Team Skull is still after you two, out for vengeance. I doubt they would turn themselves in judging by how they wrecked the place. Take extreme caution when travelling and avoid roads at all cost. You'll be too visible and would make easy prey for them." Chatot warned.

Team Pokepals nodded and left the guild. They made a small detour to the café to take some juice for takeout then left the town.

Meowth and Cyndaquil avoided the roads just like Chatot advised. They passed by the waterfall with the hidden dungeon behind it. They travelled further east and saw a forest. They did not go into that one though. If Chatot was right, which he always is, it was Oran Forest. Team Pokepals went even further east and found another forest. They entered it and found themselves surrounded by crowds of trees decorated with their own apples. Many of them regularly fell on the ground allowing the students to stock up on food. They ventured deeper in the woods. They met bug and grass-type pokemons but those were no match for Team Pokepals especially not Cyndaquil with the type advantage. They reached a dead and saw far away a giant tree with unusually big apples. They were about to approach it until Meowth suddenly stopped when he saw what was waiting after them at the foot of the tree.

"You can't be serious. Not them again and this time we're alone." Meowth whispered.

Team Skull was at the tree. The students slowly approached the tree and stood right in front of the other team.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Two kids playing the tough guys." Skuntank chuckled.

Team Pokepals had no choice. They prepared themselves but Skuntank chuckled again.

"Please, there's no need for violence. I just wanted to catch up with you two to apologise for my behavior the other day. To prove it, I'll help you two with your task. Those apples aren't featherweight after all. Koffing! Bring me one perfect apple!" Skuntank ordered.

"Yesh bosh!" Koffing replied and went to the tree behind them to hit it.

The tree shook. A few perfect apples fell down the tree around the two teams. They were lucky to not have one fall onto anyone as their imposing size would surely knock out even the mightiest pokemons.

"There you go. Allow me and my friends to carry some perfect apples back to the guild just for you." Skuntank proposed.

"I'm not buying it. You're here to take revenge on me." Meowth said.

"What are you talking about? As I said, I wanted to apologise to you. Why are you so eager to send me away like that?" Skuntank mocked.

"You're a coward, Skuntank. You waited for us two to be alone just to make you could get your revenge. So go ahead! Make me!" Meowth taunted.

"Gah! You intolerable brat! But you're right. You're way too smart to be tricked yet here you are in front of me. Koffing. Come over." Skuntank said.

Koffing hovered right next to his boss. He emitted more gas from his holes and began chuckling.

"It was fun meeting you two losers back at the guild. I'm terribly sorry your career had to end here and now. GET READY FOR THE MOST HUMILIATING DEFEAT OF YOUR LIFE!" Skuntank yelled.

He pointed his tail at Team Pokepals and, with Koffing's aid, fired his deadly purple gas at the students. Meowth put his arms in from of him to attempt to block the gas. He closed his eyes, hoping for a miracle.

"SAFEGUARD!" A voice shouted.

Meowth felt a strong wind trying to push him backward. Though, Meowth was able to stand still. Other than that, he felt nothing. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was now coated in a thick layer of white transparent energy. He looked around and saw the stranger right behind him and Cyndaquil. His presence annoyed Team Skull.

"You again!? That's none of your business! Can't you get lost like the freak you are!?" Skuntank let out.

"That's far enough, creeps. You're coming with me." The stranger warned.

"I don't think so. Zubat! Prepare the Escape Orb! We're bailing out!" Skuntank ordered.

Zubat searched in his inventory and pulled out a small orb. Before he could use it, the stranger rushed at him. One of the stranger's sleeves unfolded revealing a green hand with two claw fingers. Cyndaquil felt something familiar with the stranger's hand.

"THUNDER PUNCH!" The stranger shouted.

His hand became electrified and unleashed a powerful punch at Zubat, sending the latter far away into the dead end. His escape orb fell on the ground. Skuntank was terrified. He lied down in defeat. Koffing did the same as his boss and landed on the ground.

"Alright! You mean business! We surrender!" Skuntank yielded, terrified.

"That's better." The stranger coldly said as he pulled his sleeve to conceal his hand again.

He looked at the other members of Team Skull. His gaze paralyzed the two hoodlums.

"By the way, the sheriff should arrive soon so you won't have to wander off too much to get to some figure of authority." The stranger brought up.

A siren could be heard. The stranger quickly left the scene. Afterward, Magnezone showed up with his co-workers to arrest Team Skull. The sheriff looked at Team Pokepals.

"Great job for finding these thugs for us! You two will be rewarded generously once you turn in your current mission." Magnezone congratulated.

"Oh right! The perfect apples, I forgot about them!" Meowth gasped.

Meowth and Cyndaquil took one perfect apple each. The magnet pokemons also took some more to help them while bringing Team Skull back to Treasure Town at the same time. Once back. They all headed to the guild. Bidoof had a mechanism patented to safely carry the perfect apples down to the kitchen which consisted of a pulley system with buckets attached after the belt. He also took the day off to repair the ladder and the office door. Team Pokepals headed to the office to report of their success.

"That was an amazing performance, children! Not only did you bring a considerate amount of apple, saving us from sending any other team back to Apple Woods for at least many weeks, but you also apprehended a Silver rank outlaw team. With that, I hereby raise you to Silver rank. You can now take C rank missions on the boards and go after bounties worth up to 15000 pokes. Along with your mission rewards, here's a bonus for outperforming yourselves and getting the bounty. May you strive even further in your duties!" Chatot cheered.

"Actually…" Meowth strated.

The office door opened and the stranger came in with a gift for the guildmaster, another perfect apple. Wigglytuff could not be happier. The stranger immediately left the office.

"Is there something you wanted to say, Meowth?" Chatot asked.

"Nevermind. I just wanted to point out another perfect apple delivery and it just arrived." Meowth lied.

"I see. Go take some rest, children. You must be tired for having faced Team Skull. You two are dismissed for the night." Chatot concluded.

Meowth and Cyndaquil nodded. Chatot gave Team Pokepals new silver badges for their bronze badges. Meowth and Cyndaquil went to their room to go to sleep but the stranger was at their door.

"There you are. How did you know Team Skull would find us in the Apple Woods?" Meowth asked.

"When you entered the office, Team Skull came back to eavesdrop on your mission briefing. I contacted the sheriff about Team Skull's plan and they told me to go in advance while they would prepare the tools to arrest the outlaws. I followed Team Skull inside Apple Woods and waited for you two to reach the perfect apple tree." The stranger answered.

"Thanks anyway. Without you, we would've been beaten."

"Just be careful next time. I won't always be around to save you."

"Yeah… So, anyway, I wanted to ask you about your hand. What kind of pokemon are you?"

"I have to go."

The stranger left the corridor brushing Meowth's question away.

"Hey! You can't just ignore a question like that!" Meowth yelled, insulted.

Cyndaquil put his paw on Meowth's shoulder to calm him down. They went in their room and lied down.

"Cyndaquil… I was so afraid to lose you the other say when Skuntank attacked you. What would I do if you were gone that day?" Meowth quietly cried.

Cyndaquil looked at his friend but lowered his head. He did not know the answered but looked back at Meowth as a sign of determination.

"Yeah… I should never give up easily. I'm tired. See you tomorrow." Meowth said.

Like that, Team Pokepals fell asleep. This night, Meowth dreamed of a blurry white silhouette.

"CHOSEN ONE, YOUR TIME TO ACT WILL COME SOON. EMBARK ON YOUR GRANDEST JOURNEY IN A FEW DAYS AND FIND THE STONE GRAIL THAT STANDS ALONE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. TO GET THERE, VENTURE INTO THE PASS THEN THE MOUNTAIN TO REACH A FOREST SURROUNDING THE GRAIL'S BASE. ONCE THERE, FIND AND ENTER THE STEAMY HALLWAYS AND DEFEAT YOUR FEAR. DO NOT BELIEVE YOUR EYES. BELIEVE YOUR HEART AND VENTURE BEYOND YOUR FEAR. THERE LIES A SECOND KEY, IDENTICAL TO THE ONE YOU FOUND ON MOUNT BRISTLE, SURROUNDED BY A LARGE BODY OF LIQUID OF LIFE AND MANY LIVING LIGHTS. RETRIEVE IT FROM THE GUARDIAN OF KNOWLEDGE. DO NOT FEAR HIM. BE KNOWLEDGEABLE."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Guild's Big Expedition**

In the following days, the students put their best efforts to be chosen for the expedition Chatot announced a few days ago. They took as many missions as they could and even had quarrels with each other to get the best missions for their current rank. Chatot sometimes had to break them up to avoid those quarrels to spiral down into fights inside the guild. They even went as far as not claiming any reward they would usually receive from missions saying they do their job to help others and not get rewarded. Every night, the students would get very exhausted for pushing themselves to their limits. Then one day…

"WAKE UP, EVERYONE! TODAY'S THE DAY WE'LL GET TO KNOW WHO TAGS ALONG CHATOT AND THE GUILDMASTER!" Loudred's voice announced.

Just like that, everyone rushed toward the lower main room, all ready for today, the big day. The recent attitude change scared Chatot a little. He was holding a letter which would confirm his choice. He was not expecting his students to want to go on that expedition at that point. Though, he could only choose one team.

"Wow. I didn't imagine you'd take it that seriously. Alright, children! We have evaluated your performances in the previous and I gotta admit it's a thought choice. It was almost a stalemate but we managed to find a winning team." Chatot announced.

The students looked at Team Pokepals. It would be obvious they would win since they "stopped" Team Skull by themselves. Chatot began to open the letter.

"And our winner is…" He started.

Once the letter completely opened, he pulled out a sheet of paper and unfolded it. He stared at the sheet for a moment. A sudden change of expression was seen on his face. He seemed exasperate. He slowly looked at the guildmaster, standing right next to him with a perfect apple on his head.

"Everyone…" Chatot whispered.

"Everyone!" Wigglytuff exclaimed.

"EVERYONE!?" Chatot shouted.

"Ow, Chatot, don't scream like that. You're hurting me and our friends." The guildmaster begged, covering his ears with his hands.

"Loudred always at that volume and I'm the one being called out for that!" Chatot reminded.

"But I'm used to Loudred's volume, not from you." The guildmaster replied.

Chatot sighed. His job as the advisor of a guild seemed to annoy him. Though, something the students would never know is that Chatot wanted that. He is a very organised and serious pokemon and needed a reckless fun-loving friend to keep the balance. Chatot looked back at his students with a more embarrassed attitude.

"Well, looks like everyone's a winner!" Chatot awkwardly announced.

The students looked at each other. They questioned whether it was an actual test to choose a team or it was already planned that everyone would go on the expedition. Chatot suddenly got concerned and looked back at the guildmaster.

"Guildmaster, since everyone's coming along onto a perilous journey, we'll have to find some explorers or wanderers willing to accompany them." Chatot brought up.

"Don't worry, friend. I have everything planned. Loudred, come over here." Wigglytuff said.

Loudred left the small crowd. His unsure look gave a hint that everything was being improvised. He approached the guildmaster who whispered something in the ear. Loudred instantly blushed and left the room to come back with a microphone. He lowered the lights in the room and turned on some spotlights with their light source moving around in circles.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMONS! FOR THIS GRAND OCCASION, WE HAVE THE OCCASION TO TRAVEL ALONG WITH THE STRONGEST, THE KINDEST, AND THE PRETTIEST OF THE EXPLORATION TEAMS ON THE GRASS CONTINENT! I PRESENT YOU…" Loudred started.

The spotlight aimed at the ladder, all aligned to bright it up in line. An odd form rolled down the ladder and quickly unfolded itself, revealing a medicham. Along, the first light spot, the lowest one, followed it. It showed off its impressive martial arts and delivered a jump kick in the air just to land in front of the students. They were all wowed by the newcomer. Another pokemon, a gardevoir, entered the room by hovering down until it landed on the floor. The second light spot followed it as it walked toward the students while spinning around like a ballerina. The gardevoir stopped right in front of the students. The two pokemon posed their hands in different direction ready for action. The ladder disappeared and a pole replaced it. A last pokemon, a lopunny, slide down the pole spinning around it at the same time. Once it landed on the floor. It hopped toward the students as the last light spot followed it. The lopunny stopped right between the two others and made a pose that showed her readiness for the duty. The spotlight went down and the lights went back on.

"TEAM CHARM!" Loudred announced.

The students were excited. To travel with one of the best exploration team of the Grass Continent was a dream of a lifetime for many. Chatot was baffled. He looked back at the guildmaster.

"How did you convince them?" Chatot stutteringly asked.

"Oh, I just asked them if they wanted to come along and they said yes. They're my friends." The guildmaster answered.

Team Charm presented themselves in front of the students and went to see Chatot and Wigglytuff.

"Hi! We're ready to go!" Lopunny said.

"That's great! Here's how it'll work: Team Charm, each member of your team will travel along with a team of students. We have three teams: Team Pokepals, Team Woodwater and Team Whistleleaf. I'll let you chose your team." Chatot explained.

"I'll take Team Woodwater." Medicham said.

"I'll take Team Whistleleaf." Gardevoir said.

"Guess that leaves me Team Pokepals." Lopunny said.

"If you do not mind, I would prefer accompany Team Pokepals." A voice proposed.

Everyone saw the stranger. He seemed to have just arrived and overheard the commotion.

"Who do you think you are to take my job like that!?" Lopunny pompously asked.

"I am a close friend with these children." The stranger replied.

"Well, in that case, I can't take that away from you." Lopunny apologised.

Lopunny looked back at Chatot and the Guildmaster.

"What are you going to do?" Chatot asked.

"I'm gonna tag along with you guys. It's gonna be just like old times, Guildmaster!" Lopunny proposed.

Chatot seemed surprised that the guildmaster actually knew Team Charm. The guildmaster, on the other hand, gasped and jumped in excitement.

"Everything is settled. Here's the plan: There's a giant grail shaped stone structure to the east with its base surrounded by the Foggy Forest. Our first goal is to reach the forest where we'll set camp. I estimate it'll take us around three days to get there. Once we reach the forest, more instructions will be given. Do not underestimate the task, children. This will be a perilous journey which is why adults accompany you." Chatot explained.

"Chatot, there's something I need to tell." Lopunny brought up.

"Oh dear…"

"We tend to attract some attention in the form of a competing rival exploration team."

"Oh dear…"

"Team AWD loves to challenge us anywhere anytime, just warning you."

"Oh dear… Children, if you ever see a group made of an arbok, a drapion and a weavile, stay far away from them. Do not go talk with them." Chatot warned.

"Aren't they outlaws?" Sunflora asked.

"They're not. They're like a band of mercenaries who challenge everyone they see. With that said, you can leave town anytime but you must be at the entrance of Foggy Forest in three days. Good luck!" Chatot concluded.

Everyone left the guild. Meowth and Cyndaquil followed the stranger into town to stock up first. They headed to the exit where the stranger filled some bottle with the well water.

"We'll go through Craggy Coast and Mount Horn. The road may be dangerous but we'll get there in two days. Follow my pace until we get to Craggy Coast." The stranger said.

Meowth and Cyndaquil nodded and left town with the stranger. They walked east and a little bit to the south. The road to Craggy Coast was rough. The stranger did not even break a sweat. Team Pokepals struggled to follow him. They did not object though. After all, Chatot did say the journey could be perilous and Team Pokepals would have to be used to such travelling for when they would graduate. They neared the sea but it was way down from where they were. They found a path that went down and along the cliff that the small group took. They got led to the entrance of a cavern with a kangaskhan statue installed right next to it.

"This is Craggy Coast. We can take an hour long rest before heading in. For combat, I'll observe your performances and only interfere if it proves to be too much for you two." The stranger said.

Team Pokepals went ahead into the cavern with the stranger following them right behind. The dungeon was much different inside compared to outside. The beige path leading to the cavern surrounded by light brown facades made its exterior. Inside, the walls became a darker brown with its floor suddenly becoming blue. The blue was due to a shallow layer of water being constantly present. Some places on the floor were deep blue which might incite how deep they were. With all the water, Meowth led the way and gave Cyndaquil a towel in case he would fall in one of the many deep blue spots. It did not help Cyndaquil that most pokemon the group encountered were water type with the exception of a few dratinis here and there. This time, Meowth felt more confident in his skills. It could have been because of the stranger's presence but Meowth was getting used to fighting. He had learned a few new moves but could never keep all of them at the same time. They ventured through Craggy Coast and stocked up on some items they found inside the dungeon. After nine floors, they exited the dungeon and found themselves at the foot of an incredibly tall yellow brown mountain. The sun was setting. The group set camp near the entrance to another cave where a kangaskhan statue was placed by some explorers who had visited this area a long time ago. Tonight, Cyndaquil went to sleep but Meowth stayed awake a little longer. They had their own tent while the stranger chose to sleep under the stars. Meowth quietly left his tent. Once outside, he saw the stranger who seemed to be talking to someone. There was no one anywhere near him however.

"How are things back home?" The stranger started while talking to no one in particular.

"Not much changed aside the usual. We're losing more pokemons every day. I hope you are luckier with the mission. When you told me you lost contact with Quilava, I was afraid we'd be done for good." A female voice spoke.

"I know. I'm on an expedition to get to Fogbound Lake with the chosen one. I hope I can find another time gear there."

"Very Good. There should be one there but be careful. I don't have much information about the place."

"Strange. There should have been some pokemons who visited the place. I assume this expedition must have been a failure."

"Not necessarily. All the members of the guild survived and…"

"I gotta hang up. Someone's eavesdropping on me."

Meowth quietly went back to his tent but the stranger grabbed him before he could enter it.

"What did you hear?" The stranger coldly asked.

"You can't hide everything from me. What's the big deal about time gears and me?" Meowth asked back.

"Don't feel concerned about any of this for now. And don't tell anyone about it." The stranger ordered.

"Unless you're telling me something about it, I'm not listening to you. And what's that mission?"

"Fine… Let's go inside the mountain where no sane pokemon can hear us. I have an Escape Orb to get us back out."

They both went inside the mountain. They sat down at the entrance but, even if they were right next to it, the magic of mystery dungeons sealed the entrance.

"You want to know about me?" The stranger asked.

"Yeah. You're always around me as if you're obsessed with me. You care so much about me you directly went to Apple Woods the other just to save me from Team Skull."

"What do you want to know?"

"Tell me everything you can."

"I'd rather if you ask for something specific."

"Who's Quilava and what's your mission?"

"He's my friend and partner. We were sent on a mission to find a chosen one and help him on his quest to save the world. He had the power to see events in recent pasts and futures."

"Who were you talking to?"

"Another one of my friends. She's really far away."

"Why did you mention this expedition as if it already happened when you spoke to your friend?"

This was the killing question. The stranger paused for a moment. He stared at Meowth for a while.

"You're good at seeing pokemons through their words. I guess I could tell you the truth since you unmasked me:

Imagine a world;

Where the wind never blows;

Where water never flows;

Then you lose all your friends;

Then you fall in their ends."

"That's very poetic and all but it doesn't… Wait. Are you from the future? Is the future grey and petrified like in my dream?"

"Indeed. I travelled in your present to see how the paralysis happened and how I could stop it. It just so happened that you were the missing piece to stop it."

"But how did I fail? If it wasn't for you, what happened to me?"

"I wish I could answer that question but, whenever you change something in the past, the memories of everyone in the future are altered. I'm sorry."

"What about your friend in the future? Can't she tell you?"

"You have good ears, Meowth. You knew my contact is female and you only heard her voice. Anyway, she can only tell me what changed in our present and she'll surely tell me nothing changed judging by the way she spoke."

"What kind of pokemon are you?"

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"Judging by your hand the other day, you must be a reptilian grass type humanoid."

"In that case…"

The stranger pulled his sleeves to reveal his hands. He then grabbed after his hood and flipped it behind to reveal the stranger was a grovyle. Much like his tone, he seemed calm but a bit desperate. Despite that, Meowth could see a faint hope in his face.

"I am Grovyle. I am part of a group of rebels to fight Dialga in the future. Lately, he has been weakened but he is nowhere to be seen. We, the rebels, have allied ourselves with a powerful pokemon that can send anyone in the timeline, whether past or future. This will be our little secret to us two. I hope you won't make me regret it." Grovyle advised.

"Don't you think it'll be easier for Quilava to find you back if you don't conceal your face like that?" Meowth continued with his questions.

"It might be but it'll also make my enemies easier to track me down. That is a risk too high to take for the current situation which is why I conceal my face. With this plan, I can also create decoys and baits and they'll never know what they're looking for. Plus, I'm sure he has a disguise on his own which means I might never recognize him until I speak to him in person."

"Why do you always look at my friend in a bizarre way?"

"Your friend shares a lot in common with my friend but it might be a huge coincidence. Where does your friend come from?"

"I found him washed ashore at the beach in Treasure Town days ago."

"Be careful. He might be a spy whose purpose is to stop me."

"Could my friend be your friend from the past?"

"No, my present is decades after yours. Quilava's egg didn't hatch let alone exist."

"Well, that was all for my questions. Also, I had a new dream with a figure telling me to find the stone grail a few days ago. He said something about not to believe my eyes and being knowledgeable."

"Keep those in minds. They'll be useful to get to a time gear."

A rope came out the sealed entrance. They both looked at the rope. Meowth grabbed after it.

"Cyndaquil woke up. I guess it's time to return to the camp." Meowth said.

"Another thing: Don't speak out loud about those dreams to anyone, not even your friend. Just follow them. Like that, no one will get in your way. You do not have to believe everything I tell you." Grovyle whispered as he but the hood back on his head to conceal it.

Meowth pulled himself toward the rope and managed to leave the mystery dungeon. Cyndaquil was on the other side pulling the others out. Once outside, the stranger seemed surprised that Cyndaquil would know about that way to exit a mystery dungeon. They all went to sleep.

They all woke up the next day and had a better view of the mountain thanks to the sun brightening it.

"This is Mount Horn. We'll first get to the top and I'll tell you what we'll do once there." The stranger proposed.

Team Pokepals agreed and packed up their tent. They ate some apples to satiate their hunger and headed inside first. Like Craggy Coast, the mountain was completely different inside compared to outside. The walls became brown with a little bit of red while the rocky floor went completely grey. The pokemons encountered inside were either bug type or flying type. There were rare occasions where a bonsly would show up only to be beaten by Meowth. In addition, some fierce aerodactyls were also found inside Mount Horn. Though they seemed powerful, Team Pokepals were able to beat them without the stranger's help. After hours of venturing inside the mountain and climbing it from the inside, they reached an exit leading them to the very top of the mountain. They took the occasion to look around them. The sun was setting far away. They saw Treasure Town, Mount Bristle and more. They even saw the stone grail much closer than when they were about to leave town. The stranger pulled out some planks from his inventory and put them on the ground. The stranger got on the first one.

"Alright, children. We'll slide down the mountain to the east into the forest. You two take the other plank and go first. I'll follow you behind if something goes wrong." The stranger ordered.

Meowth and Cyndaquil sat on the other plank and leaned their body forward to descent the mountain. They were getting at an incredibly high speed. Their vision became blurrier as they went faster. They occasionally leaned backward or zigzagged to slow down to make sure they would not get themselves hurt. It was a very fun ride for Team Pokepals. The stranger sure knew how to make exploration more exciting than it already was. When they reached the forest, they were no longer going downhill. They slew down due to the absence of momentum and eventually stopped at an unusually large spot with no tree. A kangaskhan statue was placed close to a path leading deeper into the forest. Team Pokepals moved aside and looked at the stranger who just arrived. A dense fog however blocked the view to the sky.

"You're doing great, children. Now let's mount the tents and rest for the night." The stranger said.

The explorers unpacked their bags and mounted their tent just like yesterday when they got to the entrance of Mount Horn. Tonight, however, they chose to stay awake for a little longer. Even Cyndaquil chose to do so. To pass time, they discussed about their expedition.

"Do you anything about the huge stone grail we're going to?" Meowth asked.

"According to some old legends, the grail inhabits a place called Fogbound Lake. It is said that a legendary treasure could be found in there but no one could confirm it since no one ever went inside."

"But why do pokemons call it a lake?"

"The lake term might refer to the abundant fog surrounding the stone grail. This fog disorients flyers which prevents them to get inside the stone grail. Even the move Defog does not work as it is not done by natural cause but rather something inside the grail."

"What about climbing?"

"Due to the grail's shape, it is nearly impossible to climb it. Plus, once you reach a certain height, the stone facade absorbs water from the humidity the fog creates which makes the climb slippery and therefore impossible to reach Fogbound Lake this way."

"At around what height does this happen?"

"It happens as soon as you try climbing it. Although, judging by how high clouds can usually get, once the grail's stone facade becomes perfectly vertical, the rest is dry but the fog becomes the next obstacle."

"Is there some way we can get inside the grail considering flying and climbing are out of the question?"

"At the base, there could be an entrance to a cavern that will allow us to climb the grail from the inside. If there is one, it's well-hidden considering no one has found it."

Meowth nodded. He looked around and noticed his friend Cyndaquil was gone. He quickly stood up.

"Cyndaquil? Cyndaquil! Where are you?" Meowth called out.

Fortunately, Cyndaquil came back holding a beautiful red gem. It looked like the one inside the waterfall but smaller since Cyndaquil was able to hold it in his paws while the waterfall one was twice the pokemon's size. He gave it to Meowth but felt weird once he gave it away. He fell on his knees and held his head. It was one of those unexplainable and sudden headaches again. The stranger seemed surprised about it.

"The scream…" The stranger whispered.

"The scream?" Meowth asked as he helped Cyndaquil get back up.

"Yes, it's a unique power that allows you to see in the past or future but is uncontrollable. It only works when you touch certain things and, if you're lucky, the scream happens randomly."

"So, whenever my friend got a headache like that, it was because he was seeing something that happened or that something would happen?"

"Indeed."

At least, Meowth got an answer about Cyndaquil's sudden headaches. He was less worried for his friend but it also got to his mind that it could be difficult to distinguish the scream from an actual headache. It got late though. They were all tired and went to sleep. They might have to wait for the others before going inside the forest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Groudon's Heart**

"Wake up. Someone's coming." The stranger's voice said.

Meowth slowly opened his eyes and looked outside his tent. He could finally see the sky but noticed that a dense fog blocked the sight. Cyndaquil was already up. The stranger was also up and was looking away. Meowth left his tent and looked in the same direction. They heard voices.

"Just a little further. We're almost there." Lopunny's voice echoed.

"You've been keeping telling me this for the past hours. It must've been at least twelve hours we've been walking!" Chatot's voice complained.

"Don't complain, friend. We're on an adventure!" The guildmaster's voice said.

Shadowy silhouettes appeared far away. The closer they went to Team Pokepals and the stranger, the more recognizable they became. It was indeed Chatot's group. Chatot fell on the ground exhausted.

"Let me catch my breath." He exhaustedly whispered.

"Look! Friends arrived first!" The guildmaster exclaimed.

Chatot suddenly woke up. From his behavior, he was clearly not expecting anyone else to be that early at the entrance of the forest surrounding the stone grail. This gave him back enough energy to mount the tent for him and the guildmaster. Lopunny had her own tent which would also inhabit her two teammates from Team Charm once arrived here. The guildmaster went to Team Pokepals to hug them. His friendly attitude could raise pokemons' morale thus explaining how he became head of his own guild especially with how harsh things could be on the Grass Continent. Since the others were not here yet, everyone settled down and prepared a small camping to await the others. They lit a campfire and sat around to heat up.

"Tell me, sir. How did you get there so fast?" Chatot asked to the stranger.

"I first went through Craggy Coast then climbed Mount Horn." The stranger started.

"This path takes at least three days. How did you save so much time?"

"Once at the top, I slid down Mount Horn to reach the entrance of the forest."

"Interesting, I should remember that whenever I climb mountains."

Hours passed. The two remaining groups, Team Woodwater with Medicham and Team Whistleleaf with Gardevoir, reached the camp and settled down. Everyone went to sleep for the night. The next day, they all gathered around Chatot, awaiting their task at the forest. The fog became more dense and reduced visibility.

"Alright, everyone! We're at the entrance of Foggy Forest. Our mission is to find a way inside the stone grail and investigate its interior." Chatot explained.

"COULDN'T YOU JUST FLY YOUR WAY TO THE TOP!?"Loudred asked.

"I admire you simplicity, Loudred. Alas, the stone grail is surrounded by a thick fog that disorients flyers."

"What about climbing?" Bidoof asked.

"Due to the grail's unusual shape, it's impossible to climb it. There must be an entrance at the base and that's what we'll be looking for. We'll also be joining in to help you. Oh and, due to the fog, we brought flashlights for everyone. Good luck, everyone!" Chatot concluded and took his back.

He unzipped his bag and pulled out flashlights to give to the explorers. Everyone took one. Bidoof, being the only pokemon to not be able to hold one, was instead given a miner helmet with a light already in it. Everyone went inside Foggy Forest. As usual, Team Pokepals explored with the stranger. The forest was covered in a thick fog. They could barely see much in front of them but they could still see the brown dirt floor and the deep green pine trees if they got close enough. Most encounters were either normal types or grass types. A few owl pokemons sometimes stood in the way while some pachirisu were rarely seen. Thanks to Cyndaquil, grass types were no problem. After some venturing into the forest, they found themselves in another open area. A statue of a mysterious pokemon sank into ground from one side. Its stone cube-like base was half concealed due to having sunken into the ground. A lonesome weavile was leaning on the statue with its eyes closed, probably taking a break after some exploration. Foggy Forest was quite a hard place to navigate into because the fog would hinder pokemons into finding themselves inside this tree maze. The group approached the weavile who opened his eyes and looked at them.

"How's it going?" The weavile greeted.

The voice was definitively female. She left the statue and went to see the newcomers.

"You must be Lady Weavile of Team AWD." The stranger asked.

"Not only do you know my name but you also know how to address me. I admire that you're sophisticated, sweetheart." Weavile complimented.

Meowth and Cyndaquil looked around. There did not seem to be anyone else here save for them. Lady Weavile chuckled.

"Don't worry, children. I don't ambush anyone like that." She reassured with a laid back tone.

"What are you doing here?" The stranger asked.

"The same reason as you. I've heard of a hidden dungeon here and I intend to find it and claim credits for it." Lady Weavile arrogantly replied.

"Good luck with that. No one found anything here."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm training those children."

"Is that so?"

Two figures slowly emerged from behind the sinking statue. Those figures were a drapion and an arbok who joined Weavile.

"Let's fight." Lady Weavile proposed.

"Those children aren't ready for that." The stranger brought up.

"Are you sure? They took care of Team Rogue and Team Skull. Though, I doubt they did beat Team Skull. Some kids like them would be no match for Skuntank. I'm sure they got a little help from a special someone."

"They won't fight you. I'll fight you myself."

"Ha! Think you can take me!? And who do you think you are to want that?"

The stranger showed his diamond explorer badge. Lady Weavile seemed interested.

"So, you are the mysterious stranger who joined the guild and instantly became a wanderer on this day. It's hard to believe but I'd like to know if it's true. In that case, the kids are free to go but they can stay to watch their mentor getting humiliated." Weavile mocked.

Meowth and Cyndaquil quickly got out of the conversation. It was still going and things could get out of control anytime. Team Pokepals went to see the sinking statue. Cyndaquil searched in Meowth's bag to pull out the red stone he found the other day and slid it into the statue's arms. It fitted perfectly. The fog vanished and revealed the giant stone grail. They were quite close ti it but still had a distance to get there. The ground however shook and the statue sank deeper into the ground. Team Pokepals fell down with the statue. Luckily, the statue did not crush them. They recovered from their fall and looked up, from where they fell. The stranger was at the edge of the hole.

"Don't worry, children. I'll…" He started.

It did not take long enough for Lady Weavile to initiate combat with the stranger. Fortunuately, the stranger was expecting it and turned around to block her first hit.

"Not so fast, sweetheart! You still have me and my friends to take care of first before you can get to your kids. Don't worry. You'll have plenty of time after you get beaten." Weavile mocked.

Team Pokepals seemed to be stuck down the hole but they noticed a corridor.

"I'll go into the corridor in case I find a way out, Cyndaquil. Stay here in case the fight ends sooner. Don't worry for me. I have plenty of berries and seeds to withstand anything as well as an escape orb in case I get lost." Meowth said.

Cyndaquil nodded. He became more confident in Meowth's capabilities so did Meowth himself. Meowth ventured into the corridor. The corridors quickly became a mystery dungeon with red-ish brown rocky walls and floor with ponds of steamy water surrounding the few paths. An unusually high presence of bugs could be found inside those steamy caves along with some fire types. A few bulldog-looking fairy pokemons also barred Meowth's path. Meowth first struggled to fight the pokemons at first but got the handle of it after fighting a few of them. The architecture of the caves made him climb up until he reached a small open area. There, an imposing pokemon stood in the way. It was the same as the statue but living. This obstacle was a massive, bipedal, dinosaur-like creature covered in red, segmented plates of thick skin that acted as armor. It had a gray underside and large white spikes that ran along the sides of its head, body, and tail. It had four claws on each hand, four dozer-like blades on the end of its large tail, and three claws on each foot with grey markings under its feet. It roared at Meowth's presence. Meowth was scared. He tried to turn around and run away but the corridor from where he came got sealed. He looked back at the massive pokemon. He was not sure what to do. It slowly moved toward Meowth. Every step it took shook the place. Then, a Meowth remembered one of his dreams.

"DO NOT BELIEVE YOUR EYES. BELIEVE YOUR HEART AND VENTURE BEYOND YOUR FEAR."

Meowth thought deeply about what it meant. Something came up in his mind. Meowth mustered his courage and approached the dinosaur. He did not even look into its eyes. He ran into it but fell on the ground. When he stood up and realized he was at the exit and that he went through the pokemon. He looked around to notice the massive pokemon was gone. A new corridor opened. He pressed on toward the new corridor. The corridor slowly became blue-purple. Meowth finally saw some light and went to it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Mystery of Fogbound Lake**

The light brought Meowth to an entirely new place. He found himself at what seemed to be the border of the world. He was standing on a large stone platform next to the sea. He was baffled. To think the cavern brought him to the ocean was completely the opposite of what he wanted. It came to his mind that he climbed up the stone grail from the inside. It was nighttime. The moon was partially concealed by the sea and it reflected into it. Two figures were standing next to the infinite body of water.

The first one was a small, gray, fairy-like Pokémon with two gray tails that were each encrusted with a red gem. These were, presumably, two of the jewels which made up the Red Chain. It had a partially yellow face with another red gem encrusted into its forehead. Its head faintly resembled that of a helmet or a human brain.

The other one had a blue, swan-like body with a yellow underside. It had pink eyes, a dark pink, round tuft on its head, and a pointed, beak-like snout. There were yellow, crescent-shaped ornaments on the sides of its head. It had glowing, pink, ring-like wings on its sides and back with paw like protrusions resting on its chest. These wings released shining particles and undulate beautifully with the moon.

The two figures seemed to be talking about something. Meowth stood here doing nothing but staring at them. He did not want to break up their conversation.

"Still no sign of your chosen one?" The swan-like pokemon asked.

"Nothing. What about you? Have you found what's been disrupting time?" The fairy-like pokemon asked back.

"No. It infuriates me that I can't find anything. I know someone's moving those time gears around the island but I can't find who. The one in Treeshroud Forest got taken away and I can't find it anymore! How is it that it's the only one left unprotected while all the others are!?"

"Do not despair. I am sure our chosen one awoke and began his mission. If what our lord and savior said is right, he should be here right now."

"You still believe in that? Can't you see Arceus lost his touch? He's going insane I'm telling you, just like Dialga! How about you go look for that "chosen one" he claims will save out world instead of waiting for the world to freeze!?"

"I am not to interfere in mortals' business. Arceus forbade me to."

"And you'll let mortals meddle into ours!? You may know everything but you have no common sense!"

The swan-like pokemon looked away, disgusted by what its friend said. Meowth found nothing wrong in what the fairy-like pokemon said from where he was. A unique pokemon like those two figures would not live among mortals to not be the center of attention. It was then the swan-like pokemon noticed Meowth.

"You there! What are you doing here!? How did you get here!?" It yelled.

"There's no need for hostility. I suggest you leave him alone. I have business to discuss with our guest." The fairy-like pokemon proposed.

The swan looked back at its friend and at Meowth again. She seemed calmer.

"Very well. I shall keep looking into those incidents. I'll call you back if I find anything. Until next time." It bid before vanishing in a small blast of glittering dust.

Meowth slowly approached the fairy. He saw a strange structure in the middle of the sea far away.

"I apologise for my friend's mood. She's been on the edge lately. Who are you to have discovered and reached such place?" The fairy said.

Since it was the first time he saw such thing, Meowth had to think of his answers. He had no idea what it would do to him if he answered the wrong thing. Maybe mentioning the dreams he had might be a good start.

"I'm Meowth. I was led here by a dream I had where a white blurry silhouettes gave me hints of how to reach this place." He said.

"Ahh… You might be the chosen one if you overcame my illusion. And, I admire the caution in your answer. We cannot blindly trust everyone these days but never mind that. Allow me to present myself. I am Uxie, keeper of knowledge, one of Dialga's links, and welcome to Fogbound Lake, my domain, my home. Since you have arrived here led by a dream, I must test you if you are indeed the chosen one." The fairy answered.

"How will you test me?"

"First, tell me something both you and I know."

"Do we know moves?"

"An easy answer but a good one nonetheless. Second, tell me something only I would know."

"That's pretty contradictory considering I would also know it."

"You're very clever but I would like an actual answer. Improvise."

"Who is Dialga?"

"Ah, so you've heard it from us. Yes, that is a decent answer. Third and last, tell me something that only you would know."

"How to reach you?"

"An interesting answer but not one that works with me. You believed I was a hermit to think this considering you've never seen anyone like me outside my domain. Alas, I already know that since I am who inhabits this place. That's your first strike, child. Think your answer wisely."

"Where the Treeshroud Forest time gear ended up?"

"Another interesting answer but that was not the kind of answer I was looking for. At least, someone knows what happened to it. Since it is a good answer, I won't give you a second strike. Anything else?"

Meowth took some more time to think about what Uxie was expecting. Something came to his mind. He searched in his bag and pulled out the rock and showed it to Uxie. The latter seemed surprised to see such thing in Meowth's hands. He looked back at Meowth, smiling.

"Yes, the relic fragment, which is indeed the answer I was looking for. Welcome, chosen one, to your destiny." Uxie greeted.

He then showed Meowth the shadowy silhouette far away in the water. It was too far to distinguish anything.

"You want me to swim to that?" Meowth asked.

"You have no need to. Allow me." Uxie responded.

Uxie then focused his energy. The red jewels on him glowed stronger. Meowth was no longer feeling the ground under him. He looked down and noticed he was hovering. He looked back at Uxie with surprise.

"With my psychic powers, I can bring you there." Uxie said.

They both flew to the silhouette which slowly became a fountain. Many illumises and volbeats flew around the fountain. They all emitted light from their body. In the middle of the fountain, a time gear was slowly rotating at the speed of the thinnest needle on a clock. It was exactly like the one he found on Mount Bristle

"You have my permission to retrieve my time gear, chosen one." Uxie declared.

"But the place will freeze in time if I take it!" Meowth pointed out.

"Hmm, that is interesting. You already know of the consequences of taking one's time gear away. But, do not worry, my friend. It only freezes when someone besides a pokemon like me or you, the chosen one, takes it away. Now, claim this time gear as yours."

Meowth slowly swam to the time gear. It emitted a blue light that flickered like a heartbeat every time the gear rotated. Meowth grabbed after the gear. It stopped and the light slowly dimmed down. Meowth's heart was racing. He lifted it up with ease and looked around expecting something to happen. Everything seemed to be the same aside of the gear now in his possession. Meowth put it in his bag and swam back to Uxie who brought him back on land.

"You had doubts but it is a good it. You expected I could have lied to you. You do not gullibly believe everything you hear. Now that you have my time gear, keep it safe with you until you gathered all the others. There are five time gears, well hidden from public view, well-guarded by powerful foes. Seek them and their precious treasure. After today, or in the following days, our lord and savior shall bestow you with another dream that will lead you to your next task. Like the previous one, you'll be given hints to get to the next place and overcome the next test." Uxie explained.

"I already have another time gear at the guild in Treasure Town." Meowth brought up.

"Is that so? That would mean only three time gears are left to be found. Keep an eye on that one and claim it as yours once life allows."

"Also, I came here with a bunch of friends. They might come here anytime soon."

"I would not worry for that. They do not know my guardian is but an illusion. The more they will believe, the realer my guardian will be."

They heard footsteps and looked back at the entrance. Cyndaquil and the stranger just entered Fogbound Lake. The stranger seemed to be intact for someone who went against an elite exploration team all by himself.

"Ah! I was not expecting typical mortals to have bested my illusion without any hint or scratch. I suppose you two are with your friend here." Uxie said.

"Indeed." The stranger simply said.

Cyndaquil nodded.

"I would politely ask you to leave to not have to erase your memory. Promise me you will keep this place a secret among us." Uxie warned.

"I will. I just came here to retrieve my friend." The stranger simply added.

Cyndaquil nodded another time and he and the stranger left Fogbound Lake.

"We'll be waiting for you outside Steam Cave, Meowth." The stranger's voice spoke.

"It seems it is now time for you to return to your friends. I have one last thing to give you before you leave." Uxie said to Meowth.

He concentrated his energy to create a silver pendant with a yellow stone. Meowth took it and wore it around his neck.

"This is a sign you have met me. Seek guidance among my fellow keepers and they will recognize you as the chosen one. Farewell, my friend, and may you succeed in your destiny." Uxie bid.

Meowth nodded and left the place. The way back was much easier. Meowth grew stronger and could take care of the wild pokemons without having to use too many items. He returned to where he fell with the statue. A rope was placed to allow anyone to climb back up. Meowth grabbed after the rope. Once at the surface, he was back in the forest. The entire guild was around him applauding him for having returned safe and sound. Team Charm was treating the injuries of Team AWD. Everyone returned to the guild in three days. Everyone asked Meowth about the cavern to which he explained but, for Fogbound Lake, he lied by telling them that it led to a dead end with a powerful unbeatable pokemon standing in the way. Later in the night, while Cyndaquil went to sleep, Meowth went to the guildmaster's office. He knocked on the door.

"Come in, friend!" The guildmaster's voice said.

Meowth opened the door. Inside the office, Chatot was filling papers as usual while the Guildmaster was saying goodbye to Team Charm who escorted Team AWD to a nursery.

"Good evening, child! Is there something I can do for you?" Chatot asked.

"Yes, do you remember the treasure I found back in Mount Bristle?" Meowth brought up.

"Yes I do. Would you like to have it back?" Chatot asked.

"Yes please."

Chatot opened a drawer and pulled out the time gear. He gave it back to Meowth.

"Here you go, child. Unfortunately, even if you gave me enough time to study it, I could not find its origin. It seems to be something exclusive to the Grass Continent and since this part of our world does not have a history it's hard to theorize anything. I even asked Drowzee, the pokemon you saved the other day, for help. He is an archeologist and historian but even he was unable to decipher anything on the cog. Good night, child. I have a busy day tomorrow and I will need all my sleep." Chatot concluded.

Meowth left the office and went back to his room. The stranger was standing in the way with his hood folded backward.

"You must have found something up there. I doubt only a hermit lived there and, judging by its appearance, he must have been keeping something secret." Grovyle whispered.

"I found another time gear." Meowth whispered back.

"I see. You're doing great, kid. Keep it up."

"What should I do now?"

"Carry on with your life, don't tell anyone about what you truly found and wait for your next dream to guide you. Good night." Grovyle bid as he concealed his face with his hood then left the hall.

Meowth entered his room. Since Cyndaquil was already asleep, he too went to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Dusknoir**

"WAKE UP, EVERYONE! IT'S A NEW DAY TODAY!" Loudred's voice announced.

Team Pokepals woke up and headed to the lower main room like the others. The three fundamental rules of the guild were said as usual. Chatot took the occasion to talk about the expedition.

"Good morning, children! Before you go on any mission, I would like to tell you that the expedition was a success and that we'll be doing more of those in the future. You will not always be accompanied by Team Charm and I'll do my best to invite other high-ranked exploration teams to mentor you in the next expeditions." Chatot announced.

After he gave his speech, everyone left the room. Team Pokepals stayed behind and pressed on their luck with Croagunk's kiosk in hope to get trinkets for them. They did not have any luck but still kept the trinkets in case they met some pokemons who would like them. Dugtrio came to see Chatot. It was unusual from him to go see him. He seemed nervous.

"Sir, we have a special guest at the gate. He has business to discuss with you." Dugtrio said.

"What kind of special guest?" Chatot asked.

"It's a private investigator from the Sand Continent."

"By Acreus! It's not every day someone like that comes here. Let him in."

Dugtrio left the room. Team Pokepals was intrigued. A new figure descended the ladder. It was a primarily black Pokémon somewhat resembling a cyclops. Its cylindrical head was light gray with a single eye that has a yellow iris and a red pupil. There was a yellow band near the top of its head, and a short, yellow antenna with a disc-shaped tip extends from on top. Six flat projections extended from the base of its neck and surround its head, resembling an upturned collar. It had well-developed arms with two yellow bands near its wrists and large, gray hands. On the front of its torso were two almond-shaped marking, and on its back are two circular markings. Both sets of markings resembled eyes. A yellow band encircles its body, zigzagging along the front and forming a long curve around the back. It had a wispy tail in place of feet. Chatot went to see the newcomer.

"Good morning, sir! What may I do for you?" Chatot welcomed.

"You must be Chatot. I am Sir Dusknoir of the Sand Continent. I am currently on an investigation here about some artifacts named time gears. Some of my sources claim you or one of your members has found one a few days ago. Is that correct?" The investigator asked.

"You must refer to the blue cog. Yes, Team Pokepals found one on Mount Bristle and gave it to me so I could study it. However, since I did not have any knowledge about it, I gave it back to them. They are right here at Croagunk's kiosk if you want to talk to them."

Dusknoir turned around and saw the two students. Meowth and Cyndaquil trembled. It was the first time they saw a pokemons that sinister-looking and they had no idea what it would do to them. Dusknoir slowly hovered toward Team Pokepals.

"Good morning, children. I would like to ask you about that time gear you found." He asked with a haughty tone.

Meowth was too scared to answer with words. He simply nodded. Cyndaquil did the same.

"Great. I'll ask your superiors for a room where we'll be left alone for the duration of this interrogation." The ghostly figure said.

The investigator brought the students in the guildmaster's office. Both Chatot and Wigglytuff agreed to lend their office to let Dusknoir interrogate Team Pokepals. The investigator took Chatot's seat while the students sat on the two other chairs. He took his bag and pulled out a few sheets of paper and a pen.

"First, show me the time gear." Dusknoir calmly ordered.

Meowth obliged and searched in his bag to pull out one of the two time gears. He showed it to the investigator who took it and pulled out a magnifying loop to examine it.

"Hmmm… Yes, it's a time gear. The blue colour, the green lines, the faint blue light, it has all of it." Dusknoir concluded.

He put the time gear on the table and took some notes. Meowth wanted to take it back, thinking he was allowed to, but Dusknoir pulled out a stick and gently smacked Meowth's paw. It did not hurt much but it certainly annoyed Meowth who quickly pulled away his paw.

"I have some questions before you can have it back, assuming you answer correctly." Dusknoir warned.

What he said worried Meowth. This would mean Dusknoir would keep one of the time gears Meowth found thus preventing him to complete this prophecy he kept dreaming about.

"First, where did you find it and how?" Dusknoir asked.

"I found it on Mount Bristle while I was looking for a bounty with my friend Cyndaquil. It was inside a hole at the top."

"Is that so? Was there no guardians to confront or trial to pass?"

"There was none of that."

"Which means someone moved it there. You went on an expedition recently, right?"

"Yeah, we went to the fog forest to examine the giant stone grail."

"Have you found anything of interest there? It does not have to be another time gear."

"Not much beside a dead end with a massive dinosaur-like pokemon."

Dusknoir carefully stared at Meowth and took more notes. The latter was more worried. The investigator looked at the time gear on the desk.

"Let's try something else. Have you heard of or met a pokemon who claims to be the chosen one?"

"No."

"Not even a bunch of pokemons who claim to work for Arceus?"

"Neither."

Dusknoir paused for a moment and took a few more notes. He tapped his fingers on the desk and looked at the ceiling. He then put his only eye on Meowth's bag. He did not say anything. He just stared at it. Meowth was sweating. The investigator slowly stood up. He picked up the time gear and lent it to Team Pokepals.

"You can have it back but keep it well with you. I'll have more questions to ask you in the following days. I have hit a wall and will not hit it more until I can break it. You two are free to go for today." He said.

Meowth's worries suddenly vanished and he took the time gear to put it back in his bag. Cyndaquil left the office first but before Meowth could leave too Dusknoir put his hand on the door preventing Meowth to open it.

"Hey! You said you'll let me go!" Meowth reminded.

"Something came up in my mind. I've never heard of you two before. Where do you come from?" He personally asked.

"Why would you have heard of us? We're just students at the guild."

"What I mean is that I have a full list of all the permanent inhabitants of Treasure Town and you two do not figure on that list. Explain this." The investigator threateningly asked.

"Cyndaquil got washed ashore and I'm helping him get noticed by his friends to bring him back home."

"And what about you? Why are you not on the list?"

Meowth lowered his head. He shredded a tear. To think he came here without permission worried him as he could be put in jail. Dusknoir released the door and opened it.

"Since I heard you two have been doing some good lately, I will let you go. Keep walking this one back and do not be tempted by crime even if could pay more. Until next time." Dusknoir coldly said.

Meowth sighed out of relief and left the room to join his friend. Before taking any mission, they left the guild. Dusknoir was coincidentally following them but he would eventually leave them alone to ask other pokemons. When Team Pokepals went to the crossroad, Duskull flew to them. He was injured but not severely. He was screaming for help as he went to the guild. Cyndaquil caught him in his arms.

"Mister Duskull, what happened to you? Who did this to you?" Meowth asked.

"Those savages! They attacked me!" Duskull answered.

"Slow down, Duskull. Tell me what happened."

"I was on a stroll with Drowzee outside town and then those savages showed up. I was wearing my Nether Globe around my neck and those savages stared at it. Then, they took it by force. I tried to keep it but they attacked me and fled. Drowzee went after them but did not come back. If fear the worse for him."

Team Pokepals was surprised. Curiously, Dusknoir seemed more surprised. He grabbed after Meowth and Cyndaquil's shoulder. His grab was quite firm, so firm Meowth let out a small scream of pain.

"What did they look like?!" Dusknoir promptly asked.

"They were like green dogs with yellow patches on their body." Duskull answered.

"Green dogs with yellow patches?! They're electrike from the amp tribe in Amp Plains to the northeast just behind the Mystifying Forest. Go, children! There's no time to waste! Who knows what those savages can do next?" Dusknoir ordered.

"Why would they attack us?" Meowth asked.

"Pokemons like them can be very territorial at the point they'll want us out the continent. Go now!" Dusknoir replied, angrier.

"Alright! We're on it, sir! No need to pressure us!"

Team Pokepals headed out of town. They wanted to stock up on supplies before leaving but Dusknoir forced them to go directly to the mystery dungeon. On their way to Amp Plains, they stumbled across a forest. They walked around the forest and found the plains behind. They took a break before entering.

"That Dusknoir… What a drama nidoqueen." Meowth lamented.

He looked at Cyndaquil who assumed a ridiculous firm pose and opened and closed his mouth. Meowth understood he was impersonating the private investigator and laughed. He too impersonated Dusknoir.

"I'm Dusknoir. I flip out when something bad happens including when I stumble my toe!" Meowth said, trying to mimic the investigator's voice.

Cyndaquil giggled and they both entered the plains. Lightnings occasionally struck down the grey trenches in which Team Pokepals was travelling. Electric type pokemons inhabited those merciless plains. Though neither side had the upper hand, Team Pokepals managed to defeat anything that dared to step up for a fight. On some rare occasions, a yanmega would ambush them but was no match for the explorers as Cyndaquil used his fire moves to beat it. Further into the plains, they even encountered girafarigs but, like everything else in the mystery dungeon, it attacked Team Pokepals to then fail. The exploration team ventured into the plains, until they ended up at a dead end where Drowzee was facing a group of electrikes led by a manectric. There did not seem to be any sign of fighting. Perhaps Drowzee was trying to convince the savages to give back Duskull's trinket.

"Please, I am asking you nicely to give me what you stole from my friend." Drowzee said.

"Your kind is not welcome on these sacred grounds. You have trespassed on this island, you and everyone at your settlement. All of you shall be kicked out!" The manectric replied.

"Please, give me my friend's trinket and I'll leave you alone. I promise."

Manectric gave a piercing gaze at Drowzee and eight electrike slowly surrounded the tapir pokemon. They all generated electricity from their yellow patches.

"You are in no position to ask me anything, monster. Begone!" The manectric threatened.

Afraid for Drowzee's life, Team Pokepals stepped in. The electrikes redid their formation to surround Drowzee and the explorers.

"You two, what is your business here? Do not tell me you are with this fool." The manectric warned.

"Please, no need for hostility. We can make an exchange. How about that: a trinket for a trinket. Deal?" Meowth proposed.

"I want all of you out of my island!"

"I'm sorry. We can't do that. We moved here to explore and map the land. We promise we won't disturb you."

"I said I WANT YOU OUT!"

The manectric aggressively approached the group. Meowth got scared and fell on the ground while he was backing up. He dropped his bag in the process. A few trinkets fell out the bag on the ground. They got those with Croagunk's kiosk by swapping some other trinkets but did not get any chance as none of these could help them in any way. Some electrikes approached them and examined the trinkets. A mask caught their attention. They suddenly began to bark and howl. The manectric approached the outlanders and looked at the mask. He was intrigued.

"Is that a Protect Mask?" The chieftain asked.

"I think so. Does it interest you?" Meowth replied, scared.

"I've been looking for one in the past years. May I borrow it from you one moment?"

Meowth stood back up picked up the mask and put it on the chieftain's face. It fitted perfectly, a good sign for everyone. Meowth was a bit baffled that a mere mask eased the current tension between him and them.

"Please, hit me with a ground type move." Manectric calmly ordered.

Meowth did not have such move. He looked at Cyndaquil who vanished. He looked around but did not seem to be around. How could he have vanished without anyone noticing? Something came to his mind though. He looked on the ground and saw that the soil was disturbed. Then, Cyndaquil quickly emerged from the ground and attacked the manectric. The chieftain, hurt, steeped back but did not retaliate with a move.

"Yes, I can feel the pain slowly healing." The chieftain whispered.

He then whispered another thing to a nearby electrike who left and came back with a bag. The electrike gave it to Team Pokepals.

"I would like to make an exchange: I want to give you back all the trinkets I stole from the pokemons of your community for this Protect Mask." The chieftain proposed.

"Are you sure? We can give you more than just one mask." Meowth said.

"Please, you must have tested your luck swapping trinkets. I am grateful to have this from you. I am now fit to be a proper chieftain for my tribe. In addition, I would like to see your chief and ease tension between your tribe and mine."

A deal was made. Team Pokepals returned to Treasure Town with Drowzee and Manectric. They gave all the stolen trinkets back to their original owners. They even found the Water Float the Rill brothers were searching for. Afterward, Manectric went to speak with the guildmaster which was the closest to a town mayor. Deals and agreements were made this day and the chieftain returned to the Amp Plains. Team Pokepals were in town speaking to Drowzee.

"Thanks again for saving me, children. I feel a bit embarrassed for getting myself in deep trouble just by leaving Treasure Town. And thank you too for retrieving the Water Float." Drowzee apologised.

"Please, we're just doing our job. It's a pleasure to save pokemons from danger." Meowth replied.

"I would like you to have this trinket. It's a Bling Ruff and will make you tougher. I found it on one of my expeditions back on the Water Continent." Drowzee said as he gave the trinket to Meowth.

Meowth gladly accepted the gift then returned the Nether Globe to Duskull who reward them with pokes. Team Pokepals returned to the guild where the private investigator was waiting for them.

"I see you have dealt with the amp tribe with no violence. I'm sure the guild will be proud of you two." He said.

He then kneeled down and took Meowth and Cyndaquil in his arms.

"I had my doubts with you two. Even if you do not have citizenship, you deserve to stay here. You have my full support and I'll make sure to aid you two well whenever you need me." He congratulated.

"Thanks, sir." Meowth said.

Something fell on his shoulder. He looked at it and saw that some of his fur got wet. He looked upward but the sky was clear. He then looked at the investigator. The latter was crying.

"Are you alright?" Meowth asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just that it's so rare to see pokemons like you with a sense of altruism that it makes me cry when I see it from my own eye but never mind that. Chatot is looking for you. He is in the office." The private investigator answered.

Team Pokepals parted way with Dusknoir and headed into the guild. They entered the office. Chatot was already sat behind the desk. He seemed upset. Meowth and Cyndaquil each took a seat.

"Children, I'm sure you know why I called you in the office." He firmly said.

"We can explain." Meowth replied.

"Really? You went against the first fundamental law of the guild: Don't shirk work. You did not take a job on the board this morning and went exploring for fun. You were on a work day today. Free explorations can only be done the weekends. The exception to the first fundamental rule works only if you are a wanderer which means you must have at least a diamond rank." Chatot explained.

He then closed his eyes and opened them back. He became calmer.

"However, since you went exploring on behalf of Duskull who lost his Nether Globe and not only retrieve it but also retrieved all the stolen trinkets as well as brought us closer to the tribesmons of Amp Plains, I will let it pass, not only that but I will also raise you to Gold Rank. With this rank, you can now take B rank mission and pursue bounties up to 20000 pokes. In addition, you may now do the first test to become an official exploration team and rise to Platinum rank once you reach 18 years old. There is not a single day where you two do not outperform yourselves. You make us proud, children. May you strive even further in your duties!" Chatot cheered.

Chatot pulled out two golden badges and exchanged them to Meowth and Cyndaquil for their silver badges. Team Pokepals left the office. While Cyndaquil went to their room, Meowth chose to leave the guild and go on a stroll in Treasure Town. It was nighttime. All the shops were closing. All the townsfolks said hi Meowth as he passed by. He never thought he would become that popular. He only wanted a single friend but never expected he would end up like that where he is the center of attention. He wanted to go inside his secret house at the end of the cliff. He entered it through the sole bush that covered the entrance and lied down in the sole pile of hay inside.

"Who's the dusknoir?" A voice calmly asked.

It was Groyvle. Meowth saw him sat down next to the big opening.

"Don't look at me. Don't answer out loud." He ordered.

Meowth looked back at the ceiling.

"He's some kind of private investigator from the Sand Continent." Meowth answered.

"Beware of him. I can't seem to see or hear him with my temporal reading. He might be from the future and after me."

"Temporal reading?"

"Thanks to my friend's power I can read the timeline and see what happened and when it did."

"So you lied to me when you said you couldn't anticipate anything. And the reason why you told me to be suspicious of Cyndaquil is because you can't see him with your temporal reading either."

"I had to first trust you before telling you anything. I can only see them in person. And yes, I can't see your friend through my temporal readings. I suspect he might be working with the dusknoir. Did you have any other dream?"

"Nothing…"

"In that case, I'll let you return to the guild."

Meowth stood up and left his house to return among his friend. He went to sleep and had a dream where he saw the white blurry silhouette again.

"YOUR SECOND TRIAL APPROACHES, CHOSEN ONE. VENTURE NORTH TO THE SEA OF SANDS BUT BEWARE OF THE SANDTSTORMS AS THEY WILL MISGUIDE YOU IN YOUR JOURNEY. DO NOT HOWEVER FEAR THE SINKING SANDS AS THEY WILL GUIDE YOU TO YOUR NEXT TASK WHERE YOU WILL FIND A THIRD KEY GUARDED BY THE GUARDIAN OF EMOTION. SHOW HIM YOU ARE IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF YOUR EMOTIONS. BE CAREFUL. A FRIEND OF YOURS WILL TURN AGAINST YOU AND FIGHT YOU BUT YOU ARE NOT ALONE. YOU WILL RECEIVE UNEXPECTED HELP TO FIGHT HIM."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Grovyle the Thief**

"WAKE UP EVERYONE! IT'S TIME TO SHINE!" Loudred's voice announced.

Team Pokepals woke up and went to the main hall to say the three fundamental rules with their friends as usual. Meowth and Cyndaquil decided to make a trip to the shops in town to get supplies for their next adventure. When they got to the center of town, there was a huge gathering at Chansey's Daycare Service. Team Pokepals went to see the crowd.

"What's going on?" Meowth asked.

"Oh! You must be the meowth the newcomer keeps talking about." An ursaring near them said.

"What do you mean?"

"Go see by yourself."

Meowth entered the daycare service. There were no children today. It was closed for a reason he had yet to know. Chansey was standing next to a closed door.

"Over here, Meowth! My patient's been expecting you I think." She said.

Meowth entered the room alone. He was shocked to see Uxie lying on a bed severely wounded. He had bruises and bandages all over his body. Uxie looked at Meowth. Because he kept his eyes close, Meowth had no idea if he would make it.

"Good, you're here." Uxie coughed.

"What happened to you?" Meowth asked.

"Your damned friend, the one concealing himself, came back to beat me down. He must've thought I was still keeping my time gear with me. Good thing I gave it to you."

It was very strange. Grovyle knew Meowth took Uxie's time gear. Why would he come back to Fogbound Lake?

"I managed to pull out his hood before he beat me to near death and saw it was a grovyle. I used my teleportation powers and found myself at the entrance of this town where the locals took me here. Please, go to the Northern Desert and Crystal Cave and seek my friends. I fear they are in great danger." Uxie continued.

"I had a dream about a desert." Meowth brought up.

"Good. That will be where the grovyle will strike next. Make haste."

Meowth left the daycare and returned to the guild. His fear became true. A friend would go against him and it was the one he hoped the least to. He was no match for Grovyle. Words of this attack got to the guild and, of course, Dusknoir. Back at the guild, many exploration teams were in the lower main room. They were not here to take standard missions or go after regular bounties. The guildmaster was staring at the crowd while Chatot was standing on a crate and gave a speech.

"Everyone, I have received disturbing news. A grovyle is attacking legendary pokemons inhabiting the Grass Continent and trying to steal artifacts named time gears. Fortunately, Uxie, who is currently being treated, gave his to a chosen one. He chose to not speak the chosen one's name as it would put the latter in danger. I am sure the thief plans to take over our world with the power of those time gears. Until new order, all exploration teams must forfeit their regular duties of rescuing pokemons and apprehend outlaws to hunt down the grovyle. We must put an end to this quick! I have with me the private investigator Dusknoir who will give a speech too." Chatot explained.

Chatot stepped down the crate but Dusknoir did not need it. He moved it aside and looked at the crowd.

"Thank you, Chatot. There are two places the grovyle will likely go to steal more time gears. First, the Northern Desert to the north. Then, the Crystal Cave to the northeast just east of the Amp Plains. I want the most experienced teams to travel to those two locations to intercept the thief. All the other teams will patrol the roads in case the thief makes the foolish decision to take the road. As for Treasure Town, I will call in for reinforcement from the Sand Continent which means the town will be under martial laws. This will mean no pokemon will be allowed to leave town without special permission and their house will be inspected twice a day to make sure no one is sympathizing with our thief and houses him in town without anyone's consent. First, I want the two most experienced teams to come forward. Any team ranked below platinum rank is forbidden to leave town." Dusknoir said.

Two groups of three pokemons stood ahead. The first one was Team Charm. The other one was a team with a gallade, a roserade and a rhyperior.

"We're Team Charm. We have a master rank." Lopunny said.

"You, Team Charm, will go to the Crystal Cave." Dusknoir ordered.

Team Charm nodded and left the guild.

"We're Team Raider, one of the highest ranked exploration teams on the Grass Continent at master rank." The gallade said.

"In that case, your team is to head to the Northern Desert. Move out!" Dusknoir ordered.

Team Raider left the guild, so did all the other exploration teams. All the students in the guild had to stay behind. Meowth, however, had another idea in his mind. He could not stand here while Grovyle was out. He had to know his motive. He first left the guild and went to the crossroad. Dusknoir was standing at the exit of Treasure Town since his reinforcements were not here yet. Meowth searched in his bag for something that could at least distract him. He was glad when it happened he found a Sleep Seed in one of his adventures. He hid behind the well and waited for Dusknoir to not pay attention. Eventually, the private investigator stretched his arms. This could serve as a hint for being tired and to not raise suspicions if he fell asleep. Meowth threw the seed at Dusknoir. It stung his side. The sudden pain made Dusknoir gasp. He grabbed after his side but the seed was already gone.

"What was that?" He alertly asked.

His eye slowly closed. He leaned forward then fell on the ground. Meowth went to see him to notice he was sleeping. Meowth took the occasion to leave town but something grabbed after his shoulder. It was not big but it stopped him. He looked behind and saw Cyndaquil.

"I'm sorry, Cyndaquil. I have to go. I can't stay here when the world is in danger." Meowth said.

He then pressed forward but Cyndaquil followed him. After a few footsteps, he stopped and looked back at Cyndaquil.

"Are you coming with me?" He asked.

Cyndaquil dedicatedly nodded. Meowth smiled and hugged his friend. It was a pleasure to still have someone at his side in time of crisis. They had to walk around a giant gulf for a bit. They took the same path as yesterday but went to the northwest when they reached the Mystifying Forest. They found the desert Dusknoir was talking about. The sea of golden sand extended to the real sea. They ventured into it. Meowth avoided sandstorms at all cost and Cyndaquil followed him without objecting. Pokemons encountered and fought were rock, steel or ground types as well as many cactus-looking pokemons. They reached a dead end with many quicksand pits. Dusknoir's lead seemed wrong but Meowth thought of the dream. Without hesitating, he jumped into a quicksand pit. Cyndaquil, naturally, followed him. They both sank into the pit and found themselves falling down into a cavern, similar to the expedition. It was a completely new mystery dungeon. The sand was darker and a few holes in the ceiling let a few sunlight pass. The pokemons here were also much different compared to the ones on the surface. It was a home of many bug-looking pokemons. Team Pokepals travelled through the cavern. They eventually reached a vast room where two figures were talking. Meowth recognized one of them to be the swan-like pokemon he met back at Fogbound Lake. The other one shared similar traits with Uxie. However, it had a partially magenta face with four long, drooping appendages and another red gem encrusted in its forehead.

"You heard what happened to Uxie?" The swan-like pokemon asked.

"I know. I did not expect a grovyle to be able to injure Uxie at that point. He ended up in a town where he's getting treated by the locals." The Uxie lookalike answered.

"I should've stayed with him a little while. Now, mortals are about to know about the prophecy and they'll all jump into the boat! We can't have that happen but it will."

"Do not blame yourself and do not worry. We know how to talk people into leaving us alone. Once Uxie is fully healed, he will warp back to Fogbound Lake. Plus, we now know who our chosen one is."

"I hope so. And it's great to finally have some good news for once. Though, I doubt that meowth will be able to fulfill the prophecy."

"Show no doubt. Our lord and savior chose him for a reason only he knows."

The swan-like pokemon looked away and saw Team Pokepals. It seemed much calmer than on the last encounter between it and Meowth.

"Look. Your chosen one is here with a friend this time. I'll leave you two alone. I got a lead on who might be this grovyle and some sources reported it was last seen in Treeshroud Forest. Until next time." It said before vanishing in a small blast of glittering dust.

Meowth approached the Uxie lookalike. Cyndaquil was surprised to hear Meowth was a chosen one. He stayed back and observed. The Uxie lookalike approached Meowth and noticed the stone Meowth was wearing around his neck.

"Hmmm. I wasn't expecting the chosen one to be a child." The fairy-like pokemon mischievously mocked.

"I'm not a child!" Meowth angrily replied.

"An adequate reaction to my mockery, I like that. What else are you capable of?" It arrogantly asked.

"Spare me the flatteries and get to the point." Meowth said, annoyed.

"Excellent. However, I'm not giving it to you." The pokemon chuckled.

"You have to! I didn't come here just to be sent away like that!" Meowth furiously shouted.

The pokemon did not listen. He looked away. Meowth kneeled down and put his paws together.

"Please, I really need it!" Meowth begged, crying.

"Look at you, you hit a new low." It mocked.

Meowth was exasperated. He stood back up and looked at Cyndaquil. The latter was pointed his smiling mouth. He wanted Meowth to be more polite to the pokemon? Nonsense, Meowth thought. Though, if it could stop adding fuel to fire, he would try. Meowth looked back at the pokemon and smiled at it.

"Excuse me, sir. May I have your time gear please?" Meowth politely asked.

"What's a time gear?" It naively asked.

"It's a small blue cog, you know, it's around the size of a small pokemon and it has green carvings on it. It also glows in a faint blue light."

"Really? I might have a time gear but you have to show me what it looks like. I'm not good at making up an image in my mind." It replied.

Meowth knew the pokemon was messing with him but if it could get him a third time gear he had to oblige. He searched in his bag and pulled out one of his time gears and gave it to the pokemon. It examined it closely and looked back at Meowth.

"Now it's my time gear now, thank you very much." It suddenly claimed.

"Oh now it's on! BITE!" Meowth shouted.

He bit the pokemon who screamed in pain. The pokemon punched him back. Meowth released the pokemon.

"Okay! Okay! I'll admit I went too far messing with you and it's been a while you passed my trial." It declared.

It grabbed after the bite marks Meowth left on his arm and embarrassedly looked back at Meowth.

"Truth is you passed the trial long before you came here. I've been watching you through the stone Uxie gave you. I just had to see it in person." It explained.

Meowth calmed down and apologised to the pokemon which it accepted.

"Now, let's star over on friendlier terms. I am Mesprit, keeper of emotions, and welcome to my domain. You know, I was also expecting our lord and savior to pick something tougher-looking but you've proven yourself. After all, I'm just immortal, not invincible."

"Won't you ask my friend to leave?" Meowth asked.

"It's pointless. He knows how to get there. Plus, it's more dangerous to have him outside where it can tell everyone how to reach the place and guide them here. A grovyle is targeting us for our time gears and it happened to be one of your friends."

"Listen. I didn't know it would turn against me. He was nice to me and always stood by me."

"Do not worry. Betrayal has always been something we never expect. Now, let me show you my time gear."

Meowth began to float in the air. Like Uxie, Mesprit used his powers to bring Meowth to the time gear. It was well hidden in the middle of a sea of quicksand, slowly rotating like the one in Fogbound Lake. Meowth grabbed after the cog, more confident than the first time, and pulled it out. Mesprit then brought him back on land.

"Now that you have my time gear, be sure to keep it safe until you have all of them. And, to have others recognize that you indeed visited me on my behalf, wear this pendant." Mesprit said as he focused his energy to create a pendant with a red stone.

Meowth wore it around his neck. Being done here, he looked back at Cyndaquil and was about to head out until a new figure entered the domain. It was Grovyle who did not hide his face or even his body with his cloak. It might be because everyone already knew he was responsible of what happened to Uxie. Meowth finally had the chance to ask him about the attack Grovyle made on Uxie.

"Grovyle, what took you to attack Uxie?" Meowth asked.

Though, something seemed to be different on Grovyle. His eyes were bright blue instead of the standard yellow. Meowth did not even bother to ask him anything else and stood in front of Mesprit to offer protection. He heard a small chuckle but its voice was unfamiliar. Just staring into Grovyle's new eyes gave him nightmares.

"That's not him! Something's very wrong about this grovyle!" Meowth declared.

"The eyes… It can't be." Mesprit whispered.

Grovyle was about to attack but a group of pokemons arrived behind him. It was Team Raider.

"Team Raider, Go!" The gallade ordered.

Gorvyle turned around and engaged in a fight with Team Raider. It ended just as fast as it started. He first fired an energy ball on the rhyperior who was knocked out immediately. He then performed an aerial ace against the roserade who was instantly knocked out. Finally, for the gallade, he just did the same as on the roserade. Team Raider, a master ranked exploration team, was beaten by a lonesome diamond ranked explorer. Team Pokepals was scared. There was no way out of that one. While Grovyle would usually help them, this time, he would ironically fight them. Mesprite grabbed Meowth and Cyndaquil and channeled his energy. Grovyle managed to violently bite him but Mesprit was able to push him back with his psychic powers and warped himself and Team Pokepals out to safety.

They appeared near Treasure Town. Meowth looked at Mesprit and saw the bite markings on his body.

"We have to bring you to a doctor! We have Chansey in town." Meowth said.

"I'll be fine by myself. Go to the Crystal Cave quick! Azelf's in great danger!" Mesprit ordered, grabbing after the wound on his body.

Team Pokepals was about to head out but someone grabbed them. It was a bipedal Pokémon with a dark purple body, armed with sharp teeth and claws. It had pale blue, gemstone-like eyes. It also had a red gemstone on its chest, and its back had a blue and green gemstone as well as another red one.

"Where do you think you're going?" It mischievously asked.

Then, Dusknoir showed up to see what was going on.

"Who are you?" Meowth asked to the newcomer, scared.

"I am Sergeant Sableye and this town is now under martial law. You two are under arrest for going out without permission." It answered.

"Bring them to the Sheriff's office, sergeant. I'll have many questions to ask them. I'll be there soon but before I must bring the wounded one to a doctor." Dusknoir ordered.

Team Pokepals was brought to the Sheriff's office. The sheriff shook his head, not expecting to see them behind the bars. They were stripped off their goods. Minutes passed. It took an unusual time for Dusknoir to arrive. Bringing someone to a nurse did not usually take a long time especially the gravity of Mesprit's wound. Dusknoir finally showed up again after more minutes had passed.

"Why did you leave town?" He firmly asked.

"I had to seek Grovyle and ask him why he harmed Uxie. He used to be my friend and I have to know why. Cyndaquil just followed me."

"And what did you find?"

"You saw it. We found Mesprit and, of course, Grovyle, but he was different. His eyes were unusual. It was as if you were looking right into a nightmare and couldn't escape it."

"Did you see Team Raider?"

"Yeah, they came in a few seconds after Grovyle. They tried to stop him but Grovyle beat them all. They must still be back there. They should an SOS anytime soon."

"What happened to the time gear?"

"I don't know. I didn't have much time when I reached Mesprit's domain because Grovyle was already there." Meowth lied.

Dusknoir gave a piercing gaze at Meowth and took his back. He then opened it and flipped it upside down. Everything inside fell on the floor including the time gears Meowth found and the relic fragment. Meowth leaned on the bars trying to get his items back.

"Hey! Don't touch my belongings!" Meowth objected.

"You little weasel. You've been keeping all of that a secret from me. If you have told me this earlier we could've stopped him there! But you went YOUR way and compromised MY mission!" Dusknoir scolded.

"What difference it would've made if you knew it earlier?"

Dusknoir was angry. He grabbed Meowth by the neck through the bars and pulled him on them. Meowth was struggling to break free but the private investigator was too strong. Cyndaquil got scared and did not do anything. After all, there was nothing he could do this time.

"What difference?" Dusknoir first whispered.

He clenched his fist. It was harder for Meowth to breathe. He felt like his head would pop off.

"WHAT DIFFERENCE!? HAVING KNOWN YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE I WOULDN'T HAVE KEPT YOU IN TOWN! I WOULD'VE SENT YOU WITH EXTRA PROTECTION AND I WOULD'VE GONE WITH YOU! YOUR SELFISHNESS AND YOUR RECKLESSNESS IS RISKING EVERYONE'S LIFE!" Dusknoir yelled.

He then released Meowth who fell on the ground and coughed. Cyndaquil went to help him get back up on his feet.

"You'll stay here for the night. Tomorrow, we'll go to Crystal cave and intercept that monster. You're coming with me whether you like it or not. Good night." Dusknoir coldly concluded.

The private investigator left the office. Nighttime arrived. Team Pokepals slept in the piles of hay in their cell. They were not very comfortable so it was hard for them to sleep. Though, after an hour of struggling, they finally fell asleep. Meowth had a dream this night with the white blurry silhouette.

"CHOSEN ONE, FIND THE CRYSTAL PATH NEAR THE THUNDEROUS PLAINS AND REACH ITS ONLY DEAD END. KEEP IN MIND THAT THE COLOR OF WILLPOWER WILL GUIDE YOU TO YOUR THIRD TRIAL WHERE THE KEEPER OF WILLPOWER AWAITS. YOU MUST PROVE HIM YOU HAVE COME ON YOUR OWN BEHALF AND ARE MASTER OF YOUR DESTINY. THEN, ONCE DONE, CLAIM HIS ARTIFACT AS YOURS BUT BE PREPARED. THE TRAITOR WILL RETURN TO CONFRONT YOU ONCE AGAIN. MANY WILL HELP YOU AGAINST HIM BUT DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT IT SEEMS. BELIEVE INSTEAD WHAT IT COULD SEEM."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Only Option**

"Wake up." A voice mischievously said.

Meowth and Cyndaquil were suddenly awoken to the sound of a cup repeatedly hitting the bars. It was the sergeant. He was also holding some collars attached to chains. He opened the bars and Team Pokepals was escorted outside the sheriff's office but Sableye made them wear the collars before leaving. He also held them back with the chains. Dusknoir arrived and joined them.

"Can we go see Mesprit please?" Meowth asked.

"We have no time for this now. You've caused all of this because you went your way. You can see him after we stopped your "friend". And, please, don't foil anything." Dusknoir coldly answered.

Meowth could tell Dusknoir was still angry at him for keeping blaming him for what happened to Mesprit. They all left the office. Many sableyes were patrolling the town replacing the towsnfolks.

"Where is everyone?" Meowth asked.

"All townsfolks are forbidden to leave their house without permission. This also applies to explorers not on duty. Next time, I hope you'll think twice before doing something stupid like you did yesterday." The sergeant answered.

The group then left Treasure town. To get to Crystal Cave, they took the same path to the Amp Plains but headed east once they reached the plains. They met some explorers on their way to the mystery dungeon. They even met Team Woodwater and Team Whistleleaf but could not speak to them longer than a few seconds as they immediately got pulled back to the group. They arrived at a crystalline formation with an entrance. Once inside, all the walls were made of magenta crystals and rested on a deep blue dirt floor. There was not a single type in particular more frequent than any other. It was not a pleasant experience for Team Pokepals. They had to walk in front of Sableye and if they either walked behind or went a wrong direction they would be pulled back due to their collar. Every pull was painful. They hoped it would stop soon but they were her for a while. They reached a dead end where Team Charm was stationed. Tall crystalline pillars stood around the team already in.

"Thanks for the support! We can't seem to advance any further. Judging by the absence of valuable things I doubt your grovyle will show up here. Also, why is Team Pokepals chained?" Lopunny said.

"I had to keep them close with me. They know the grovyle personnally and I am sure he will try to rescue them. Crystal Cave is quite a maze you know. I am surprised you managed to reach this dead end as it looks different from the others." Dusknoir answered.

He kneeled down to reach Meowth's ear.

"Do not worry, my friends. I am sure our friend Meowth here will find us a way. Won't you, chosen one?" Dusknoir brought up.

His last few words were whispered to Meowth's ear to not attract any unwanted attention. Meowth simply nodded. He advanced forward to the pillars.

"We've touched those pillars and they change color. We tried every combination but nothing seems to work. I doubt even you can do anything." Medicham explained.

Meowth went to touch a pillar. They were all white. Once touched, a pillar became red. Meowth thought what the color of willpower could be. He scrolled through the available colors: red, blue, yellow, orange, purple, green, brown, white, black and grey. Even if all the pillars had the same colors, nothing happened. Cyndaquil went to help Meowth and touched a pillar too. Then, he grabbed after his head and kneeled down. The scream was in action. Team Charm went to see Cyndaquil. Gardevoir pulled out some berries. Dusknoir was surprised by this sudden headache but whispered something in Sableye's ear.

"Are you alright?" Lopunny asked, worried.

Cyndaquil stood back up and changed all the pillars to blue. He then looked at Meowth and touched the ground.

"There's another crystal buried?" Meowth asked.

Cyndaquil nodded. Meowth dug a little bit in the ground and stumble across the tip of another crystal hidden in the ground. It was white so Meowth changed it to blue. All the crystals became light blue and the one buried rose up from the ground scaring off everyone. The pokemons went outside the crystal circle and stood back. The fourth crystal was much bigger and, once it fully emerged from the ground, it had an entrance inside. Everyone entered the new cavern. The walls and floor were now made of light blue crystals. Like the cavern above, no specific type was present in an abundant number but the pokemons encountered were different. Being a total of seven, the group had no difficulty fending off any pokemon that dared to fight them.

They eventually arrived in a vast room with an underground lake. The swan-like pokemon was there, talking to a new figure. This new figure was a small, gray-blue, fairy-like Pokémon. It had two tails that each had a red jewel on them. It had a partially cyan face with another red gem encrusted into its forehead. It had a cone-shaped head with elf ear-like protrusions on each side.

"Were did this lead bring you?" The fairy-like pokemon asked.

"Nowhere. It must have been something to lure me out and allow the grovyle to get to Mesprit. The same thing happened to him as did to Uxie. They're now in this town to the west coast. Good thing the chosen one arrived before the grovyle to retrieve his time gear." The swan-like pokemon replied.

"That is alarming. Let's hope our chosen one is on his way here. We can't afford another risk like that."

"This time, I'll stay here. Even if I got another lead, I'm not risking your life to get to the bottom of it."

The swan-like pokemon turned around and saw all the pokemons that entered the underground lake.

"Don't you think you're abusing our tolerance of mortals with all your friends here?" The swan-like pokemon pointed out.

"Settle down. That'll make more monpower against the grovyle." The fairy-like pokemon said.

Meowth approached the fairy pokemon. Sableye gave him some lest to reach the fairy pokemon.

"So, you must be the chosen one. What brings you here?" the fairy pokemon asked.

"I'm here to retrieve your time gear." Meowth answered.

"Is that so? Judging by the collar you're wearing, it seems like someone brought you by force."

"Don't mind that. I'm here on my own behalf. I need to know why my friend chose to attack yours."

"That is indeed a choice you made. However, how can I know you are the master of your own choices?"

"I could have chosen to ignore the prophecy and carry on with my life."

"Not a wise choice but one you would've made. However, I doubt you could've made such decision in this state. Anything else?"

Meowth looked at the chain attached to his collar and looked at Cyndaquil. He subtly grabbed after the chain. Cyndaquil nodded and grabbed after his. Together, they pulled Sableye toward them forcing the latter to release the chain and fall on the ground. Some keys fell off him. Cyndaquil took the keys and unlocked the collars on his and Meowth's necks.

"Yes, that was what I was looking for! The slave becomes the master. No chain is sturdy enough to contain the choices you wish to make." The fairy pokemon declared.

Sableye stood back up and wanted to hit Team Pokepals but Dusknoir held him back. They whispered things to each other and Sableye calmed down and let out a small chuckle with his big fanged grin.

"Allow me to present myself. I am Azelf, keeper of willpower, and this is my domain. My time gear is far away right there." The pokemon greeted and pointed toward the lake.

A time gear was rotating on a podium in the middle of the lake. Azelf used his psychic powers to bring Meowth to the time gear. The latter took it and returned among the others.

"You only have one more to find. However, our lord and savior will not guide you this time. You must find it yourself. Maybe one of your friends might have an idea where it could be." Azelf explained.

"How am I going to do that? Because I'm in a guild I can't go anywhere without having a mission. Otherwise, my superiors will scold me for shirking work," Meowth said.

"I am sure you will be sent to this last place someday. I simply hope it will be soon enough or…"

The other pokemons gasped. Grovyle entered the domain, still with the blue eyes. Everyone looked at him. It did not take long before all hell broke loose. It was a fight against a single pokemon. Grovyle violently bit Gardevoir and performed an aerial ace against Medicham. Though, Dusknoir managed to throw a stun seed at Grovyle to neutralize him. All the other pokemons jumped at him and held him tight. Team Charm passed some cuffs around the outlaw's wrists. Meowth just stared at the scenery, powerless toward the situation. No one needed Team Pokepals' help. Grovyle attempted to break free but there were too many foes to do so. He eventually gave up. He blinked once and Meowth noticed his eyes became yellow again just like that. Meowth also saw something black crawling into the shadows and vanished in a dark spot inside the domain. He went to it and found nothing. He looked back at Grovyle who seemed confused. Something clearly was manipulating him but what could it be? Nonetheless, Grovyle was captured. Everyone left the place but Meowth stayed a little while with Azelf and the swan-like pokemon.

"Those eyes… Not this thing again…" The swan-like pokemon whispered.

"What was that?" Meowth asked.

"Something took over his mind with a powerful nightmare."

"What? How can you have a nightmare and still be standing?"

"It's not a regular nightmare or one like a gengar could do. It's far beyond our comprehension. He was unconscious and unaware because something took over… him…"

"But who can do that?"

"The fuel of nightmares, I thought he was gone for good. Listen, since you're the chosen one, don't get yourself involved with him. Keep looking for the time gears and complete the prophecy. I'll take care of him. I know how."

The swan pokemon vanished as usual. Azelf brought Meowth back to Treasure Town. He had to check on his friends. Meowth returned to the guild. All the exploration teams were back celebrating their duty done. They all drank berry juice from the café and play games. Meowth, however, cared little about that. He knew they were all led in the wrong lead but no one would believe him. He tried to see Grovyle to know what happened. When he returned in town, he saw Dusknoir chatting with Duskull. Meowth went to see them.

"What are you doing, sir?" Meowth asked to Dusknoir.

"I am just checking on the banker to make sure he is fine. You have done well for tonight, child. I am sure the guild will make an exception and give you the platinum rank to finally do missions on your own." Dusknoir answered.

"Actually, he was curious about my Nether Globe so I showed it to him." Duskull pointed out.

It was strange for Dusknoir to not mention anything about Cyndaquil but Meowth brushed the thought away and carried on. He went to the sheriff's office but the sergeant prevented him to see Grovyle. He furiously went to his secret house to take some rest. He was not expecting to find a bag with some items in it. There were high grade items and even a special orb considering its unusual green color as opposed to the blue ones. A letter could also be found among the belongings. Meowth read it:

" _Meowth,_

 _Something's happening to me and I don't know what. If you're reading this letter, it means I failed my mission and you must press on. I have stocked some valuable items that'll aid you well in your quest or you can sell those for extra pokes. Keep the orb though. You can reach my friend and she'll help you. Again, I'm sorry. Please, carry on with the prophecy and fulfill it for me and my friends._

 _Grovyle._

 _P.S If you ever find Quilava, tell him of my failure and explain that you are the chosen one. He will gladly help you with the prophecy. May you succeed where I failed."_

Meowth sat down and thought of the times he was with Grovyle. He remembered the first time he saw him at the guild before his first mission. He remembered when Grovyle gave him a trinket that proved useful in his missions. He remembered when Grovyle saved him and Cyndaquil from Team Skull and Team AWD. If what Grovyle said about Dusknoir was true, no doubt Dusknoir would bring Grovyle back to the future. Meowth rubbed the orb, cusious of its effect. It glowed.

"Hello? Groyvle? You've been away for a while. How are things?" a feminine voice asked.

"Hum… Hi! My name is Meowth and…" Meowth started.

"Wait! How did you get that!?"

"Grovyle, he's…"

"Gone!? What happened!?"

"I'm not sure. He sorta went rogue and got caught by a dusknoir."

"Dusknoir!? Why did he go rogue!?"

"It's not him! Someone took over him."

"Someone? Oh no, he did not…"

There was a brief silence. Meowth wanted to mention about the fuel of nightmares but…

"Okay, tell me again who you are?" The voice asked.

"I'm Meowth. He's been travelling a bit with me."

"Oh, you're that Meowth! Great! Okay, tell me about your quest."

"I just found a fourth time gear."

"Excellent! I know where the last one is but I have to put you on standby. Grovyle's gonna be back in my present and I must rescue him. I'll talk to you again when everything's one. Out."

The orb's light faded away. Meowth hid the bag under the pile of hay but kept the orb with him. He returned to the guild. All the exploration teams were gone and a few pokemons were cleaning the mess from the party. He joined Cyndaquil and went to sleep in his room. He was still thinking about Dusknoir's remark. Why did he leave out Cyndaquil?


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Dusknoir's Secret**

"WAKE UP EVERYONE! THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY!" Loudred's voice announced.

Team Pokepals woke up and went to the lower main room with the other students. Meowth was not much in the mood for that but he had to oblige to not get scolded by Chatot. Dusknoir was standing near the ladder with Grovyle all tied up and the sergeant holding him by a chain.

"Everyone, I would like to thank you for your contribution into catching this grovyle. Even though very few of you have actually helped to catch him, all of you still have played an important part. However, I must confess something to all of you and I am terribly sorry for having kept it a secret to all of you." Dusknoir began.

The students whispered to each other in confusion. Meowth kept looking at Dusknoir. He already had an idea of what the private investigator would say next.

"I am not really from the Sand Continent. I am in fact from… The future." The investigator confessed.

Everyone was shocked save for Meowth. He already figured out that way before this confession. He was upset just like yesterday.

"This grovyle also comes from the future. He wanted to take the time gears to conquer the world and prevent anyone to reach him. Without your help, the future as well as the past and present would be under his control. His extraction back to our present will be done at noon in the center of Treasure Town. You are all invited to witness a time portal with your very own eyes. See you later." Dusknoir concluded.

No one went on a mission, a permission given by the guild. Seeing a time portal would be a dream of a lifetime. Everyone went to the center of town at noon. Everything was ready. The crowd stared at the magnificence of the portal. This deep blue void had so much depth inside it seemed like an endless corridor. Some filament of grey-blue energy spiraled inside the portal. The sableyes that used to patrol the streets formed two lines ready to return to their time period. Dusknoir held Grovyle by the arm and the sergeant was standing right next to them. Grovyle tried to say something but he had his mouth tied up. Only "mmh"s came out. Dusknoir whispered something to his sergeant who pulled out a stick and smacked Grovyle on the back on his head knocking him out. The sergeant dragged the unconscious prisoner into the portal while the other sableyes followed him. Meowth was disgusted by this. Though, Dusknoir remained behind.

"I would like to thank you all again for helping me catch this outlaw, especially you, Meowth, for getting me closer to his accomplice. Team Pokepals, please step forward." Dusknoir said.

Meowth gasped. It was only then he realized why Dusknoir left out Cyndaquil when he mentioned the platinum rank. He looked at Cyndaquil who just looked at the private investigator. He knew what Dusknoir was about to do but there was nothing he could do to stop him. He looked back at Dusknoir and stepped forward. The investigator had to kneel down to reach Meowth's height.

"Please, don't. He's my friend. He did nothing wrong." Meowth quietly begged.

"I'm sorry but your friend does not belong here. It would be a crime to let him wander around in this time period." Dusknoir whispered back.

He then grabbed Cyndaquil by the body and lifted him up. Everyone was surprised.

"Did you really think you could fool me with your disguise? Think again." He said.

He then looked at Cyndaquil. No one knew what he was talking about.

"In the name of the law, you are under arrest for temporal trespassing, Quilava!" Dusknoir declared.

All that time, Cyndaquil was Quilava but there was no way to actually figure that out. Even Grovyle did not seem to be able to tell and he would have been the only one able to but he was nowhere to be seen. Meowth wanted to stop Dusknoir from taking away his friend but Chatot held him back.

"No, let me go! Please, don't take him away! Please!" Meowth begged.

No one listened to him. Dusknoir left into the portal with Cyndaquil and it vanished. Chatot let Meowth go. The latter stood there and looked at the ground. Everyone looked at him. Meowth fell on his knees and quietly cried.

"Meowth, I'm terribly sorry for what happened to your friend. But, you know, since he was an outlaw…" Chatot began.

Meowth stood back up and clenched his paws and slowly looked around. He spotted a small fire camp and went to it. Meowth kicked the campfire. The burning pieces of wood scattered around and he picked one still on fire. Everyone just looked at him while Chatot slowly approached him.

"I mean you should've expected it. He came out of nowhere without any way to identify him." Chatot reminded.

Meowth quickly turned around and hit Chatot on the face with the burning piece of wood. Just one swing put the fire on the wood off. He breathed heavily. Chatot fell on his rear grabbing after his face. It was covered in burnt charcoal. Some townsfolks went to pick Chatot back up Meowth showed his teeth and anger. The tears kept slowly longing his face from his eyes. All the students stood around Chatot too to protect him from Meowth. Sunflora helped Chatot get back on his feet while the others tried to stop Meowth. The sheer frustration in Meowth could not be stopped.

"Hey! Stop it!" Corphish begged.

Meowth smacked him on the head with the piece of wood. Corphish fell down, too hurt to keep fighting.

"Darn it, Meowth! I'm beggin' ye to stop this too please!" Bidoof begged at his turn.

Meowth hit him on the side of his face sending him away.

"MEOWTH, YOU'RE GIVING ME NO CHOICE! BRICK BREAK" Loudred shouted.

It hit Meowth. It hurt but he was too angry to faint. The pain only made him angrier. He hit Loudred back in the face with the piece of wood. Loudred got knocked out. Sunflora grabbed after Meowth's piece of wood to attempt to disarm him but Meowth pushed her back. Sunflora fell on the ground.

"Oh my gosh! Please don't!" She cried.

Meowth was about to hit her but someone knocked him out before. While unconscious, he thought of how he lost all his friends. No one in his guild was really his friend to him, only Cyndaquil and Grovyle but they were gone.

He woke up in his bed back at the guild. Chansey was standing next to him with many medical supplies. He felt something weird on his head so he grabbed it.

"Don't remove the bandages now. You got a concussion and it'll recover in a few days." The nurse said.

He looked away. He wanted to be alone today and showed it with the anger that survived the blow. Chansey left the room and Chatot came in. Chatot could have been angry at Meowth for hitting him but he was just sad.

"Child, there are some pokemons who would like to speak to you. They said they have important business to discuss with you." He calmly said.

"Tell them to get lost." Meowth rudely replied.

Chatot left the room and the three keepers entered. It only Meowth even angrier that everyone in town wanted to speak to him.

"I said get lost!" Meowth repeated.

"What are you going to do?" Uxie asked.

"Nothing…" Meowth whispered.

"You cannot defile the prophecy like that! It was written you will fight the source of disaster, not ignore it and run away. Bring balance to time and space, not leave them in darkness!"

"Hey, mister know-it-all! Do you know how much it hurts to lose your best friends like that!?" Meowth shouted.

Uxie had nothing to say. He backed away and Mesprit stepped in.

"Please, tell me you'll fulfill the prophecy someday. It doesn't have to be right now. Our lord and savior is a very patient being and the fuel of nightmares won't get to you anytime soon with our friend on the case." He begged.

"Oh! Look who's here! Mister "I spend more time fooling around instead of listening to anyone". So ironic and hypocritical! You should know what I'm feeling right now! You're the keeper of emotion!" Meowth shouted.

Mesprit did not have anything to say and backed up too. Azelf stepped in.

"Chosen one, you cannot walk out of the prophecy like that. Our lord and savior is counting on you to fulfill it. He chose you for a reason. You just have to find it." He reminded.

"Oh yeah?" Meowth asked.

Meowth searched in his bag and pulled out the four time gears and the fragment relic. He threw them all at the keepers.

"Tell him I don't wanna be the chosen one anymore! Tell him to choose anyone else! I don't care who and I wouldn't care less if Skuntank, of all the pokemons here, become the chosen one! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE AND STOP CALLING ME CHOSEN ONE!" Meowth shouted.

The three keepers obliged and left, disappointed. Meowth then kicked the rock away. It hurt but he was too angry to feel the pain. He slammed the door shut and went back to his pile of hay. He lied down and cried. He did not know what to do anymore. He wanted to leave the guild behind and go on his own to forget all the days after he met Cyndaquil and Grovyle and before they left. Some moment later, someone knocked at his door.

"Leave me alone!" Meowth said.

No one answered by words. The door opened and the other students came in. They were all sad.

"Hey… We're here for you." Corphish whispered.

"Didn't you hear me?" Meowth said back.

"Darn… I don't know what to say." Bidoof whispered.

"Then don't say anything. Anyway, I'm leaving soon."

"Oh my gosh… Listen, Meowth. We're with you. We don't care if Cyndaquil was an outlaw. He might've been a long time ago but he proved to be our friend. Please, don't leave us." Sunflora comforted.

Meowth calmed down after hearing that the other students were on his side even after the fight earlier today. He felt a form of regret for having hit them. The students were his friends after all. He took a deep breath and smiled at them.

"Thanks, guys, but you don't understand." Meowth replied.

"Dusknoir did call him Quilava as if Cyndaquil was disguised." Loudred brought up.

The other students looked at Loudred. Just this one commentary made everyone hesitant of what to think about the whole situation. Should they believe to Grovyle or Dusknoir? One was a figure of authority, an undeniable proof of trustworthiness, but perhaps he used this title to manipulate everyone. The other was but a mere stranger though this stranger proved to be more than just some mindless criminal.

"Hey, that grovyle was always with you, right? What did you guys think of him?" Corphish asked.

"I know it sounds like I'm speaking nonsense but I think it wasn't him who attacked those pokemon and that he was there at the wrong place and time." Bidoof declared.

"Oh my gosh! I think you're right, Bidoof! He wouldn't mindlessly attack everyone on sight! Remember when he went to Apple Woods to save Meowth from Team Skull?" Sunflora said.

"YEAH! OR WHEN HE GOT TEAM AWD OFF TEAM POKEPALS' BACK!" Loudred shouted.

"Guys, thanks for your support. And you're right. Something took over him. I was able to see him twice after he attacked Uxie. His eyes were blue instead of yellow and the last time something left from his shadow and vanished." Meowth said.

"Now, it's time to find out the real culprit!" Bidoof said.

"Someone's already on the case but thanks anyway." Meowth brought up.

"But what are we gonna do?" Corphish asked.

"We need to convince Chatot to send me to as many places as possible. Listen, everyone, I need to confess something to all of you: I'm a chosen one." Meowth said.

"Wow! Two confessions in one day, that's a rarity!" Corphish pointed out.

"SO, ALL THE STUFF LYING AROUND ARE PARTS OF A DESTINY OR SOMETHING!?" Loudred yelled.

"Yes, I need to find one last time gear and I can save the world." Meowth claimed.

The other students looked at each other. Meowth was not sure if they would believe him but the others smiled at him.

"We believe you, Meowth. Those grey pokemons told us about a prophecy and a chosen one. They seemed desperate because they feared the world would freeze since you refused them earlier. We'll help you even it won't be much." Sunflora said.

"Thanks but I already know where it could be. All I need is for you guys to convince Chatot to allow me to go wherever I want without having to take a mission. Tell him about the prophecy. Tell him about the relic fragment and the time gears and if that doesn't work tell him about the keepers." Meowth ordered.

The other students nodded and left the room. Meowth would fulfill the prophecy for his friends, especially Cyndaquil and Grovyle.

"Cyndaquil… Thanks for giving me this chance to join the guild. Thanks for having been with me all that time and to have shown me how to fight. Grovyle… Thanks for all the help you brought me. It's a shame something had to foil your plan. Your efforts won't go in vain. I'll save the world. I'll restore the balance between time and space for everyone!" Meowth declared."

He left his room but something happened while he was talking to himself. Everyone was rejoiced. Maybe it was because Meowth would keep fulfilling the prophecy. Sunflora went to see him.

"Oh my gosh! You won't believe what just happened! It's a miracle!" She said.

"What just…" Meowth began.

"No time to explain! Come with me outside!" Sunflora interrupted.

She then grabbed Meowth and brought him outside. Meowth could not believe it. He was smiling. It was…


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Into the Future**

During the travel to the future, Cyndaquil fainted due to the distortion inside the portal. Inside the portal, he was not used to this distortion that was happening inside his body even if it was his second trip through a portal, the first one as Quilave. He woke up in a cell, alone. The dark grey floor and the walls creeped him out. He saw some bars and leaned unto them. He looked around. A sableye was standing guard. He however left shortly after. He thought of who he used to be as Quilava. It was bugging him that Dusknoir took him here. He had no idea who Quilava was.

"Hey…" A familiar voice spoke.

Cyndaquil looked to his right and saw more bars. Grovyle was sat behind those.

"Why would they take you here?" He asked.

Cyndaquil had no idea so he just raised his shoulder. Cyndaquil now knew he was a quilava before but that was the only thing he knew of his former life.

"Dusknoir must've a grudge against you or you're from here just like me. This does make me wonder how you managed to travel in the past without time power. The two only pokemons to have such power hold a grudge against each other. Anyway, welcome back to our present, where the only color you'll see is grey." Grovyle concluded.

Cyndaquil tilted his head. He had no idea what Grovyle meant by that. Footsteps came and Cyndaquil leaned onto the bars once again. Dusknoir arrived with his assistant the sergeant and many other sableyes. He unlocked the two cells and the sableyes tied the prisoners.

"It's time." Dusknoir simply said.

The prisoners were led in a vast room with a giant hole in the middle. It looked more like a crater from a meteorite but without a bottom. It was instead replaced by a void. There were many other pokemons tied up. The prisoners were brought closer to the hole. Sableyes pushed one of the prisoner already here, a mamoswine. It fell into the hole, screaming, and got disintegrated when it reached a certain depth. Those who could fly had tar poured all over their wings before being thrown down into the hole. Cyndaquil was horrified. To think his life would end just like that was quite terrifying. He looked at Grovyle who seemed calm. The latter leaned down toward Cyndaquil.

"Don't worry. I have a plan to get us out. They'll both push us down at the same time. I can untie myself easily. All you have to do is hit me in the belly as hard as you can. I'll take care of the rest." He whispered.

Cyndaquil was not sure it would do anything but, after all, Grovyle did get him and Meowth out of trouble many times. It was his only hope to get out of here. The sableyes pushed the two prisoners at the same time. As he said, Grovyle managed to untie himself.

"Now, Cyndaquil!" He shouted.

Cyndaquil hit Grovyle in the belly as hard as he can. Something went up Grovyle's throat. It took a spherical shape. It then went in his cheeks and came out his mouth. It was a small orb. Grovyle took the orb and grabbed Cyndaquil. They both vanished and appeared outside a sinister-looking building. Cyndaquil looked around him and witnessed the horror. The sky was pitch-black. Everything had no color other than grey. A siren was triggered.

"GET THEM BACK! THEY MUST NOT LEAVE BACK TO THE PAST!" Dusknoir's voice yelled thought it was slightly muffled.

Grovyle put Cyndaquil on his back and went into the first mystery dungeon they found.

"I know a place where we can lay low but first, we need to go through Chasm Cave, Dark Hill and Sealed Ruins to shake our pursuers off. Once we get to the place, you'll make a lot of allies to fight them back. We're currently in Chasm Cave. Watch your steps in here." Grovyle explained.

They went inside Chasm Cave. The light purple trails lounged the crystalline walls and the many bottomless pits. They fought many steel pokemons which was not a problem for Cyndaquil because he had the upper hand. They also found some ghost pokemons which annoyed them because they could not be hit with normal type moves. A few grumpigs and onixes also inhabited the cave but the two explorers had everything to fight them. Occasionally, they would meet a ditto but could only know after defeating it since it would always assume a different appearance and use different moves. It sometimes even took their appearance. They managed to leave Chasm Cave and found a decent place to rest. One mystery dungeon seemed enough to lose their pursuers as they no longer heard the siren or anything else.

"We can rest for a few hours. Don't expect the sun to come up. It never will because time stopped." Grovyle said.

With the items they found back inside the dungeon, they dined on apples and elixirs. While Grovyle went to sleep, Cyndaquil took a look around. He saw a waterfall and wanted to drink some water a little bit. It could sound foolish for a cyndaquil to hydrate itself but any pokemon needed a form of hydration. Water would only hurt if consumed in excessive quantity or fired from another pokemon. He noticed the water was not flowing. It was frozen in time. Cyndaquil shrugged it and went to sleep. He would need energy in this world torn apart by the unknown. They woke up hours later. Cyndaquil could not tell if it was tomorrow or still today. The sky did not change color. They kept walking.

"Somewhere between the past we travelled to and our present, Dialga, the temporal pokemon, lost his powers causing him to go insane and absorb time itself in hope to restore his power explaining why nothing moves and everything appears grey. Time gears are used to bring balance in time and restore Dialga's power but someone or something took them away which prevented the chosen one to fulfill the prophecy. It's also to note the chosen one perished before he could get to Dialga. Before we went to the past, he would've never begun the prophecy and would fall victim to the world paralysis. That was why I travelled in the past with a friend, Quilava, to stop this." Grovyle explained.

Cyndaquil was intrigued that Grovyle seemed to know a lot about the past and two timelines that took place at the same time. It could have seemed as misinformation to misguide him but he knew Grovyle would never misinform for his own selfish desires. He however remembered that he was Quilava so he stopped and pointed himself.

"What's wrong, Cyndaquil?" Grovyle asked.

Cyndaquil then pointed Grovyle but there was nothing he could do to communicate what he wanted. Being unable to speak, he had to find another way to tell him he was his friend Quilava but nothing worked.

"Don't worry, Cyndaquil. I won't leave you behind. We'll restore the world together." Grovyle said.

Cyndaquil gave up and carried on with him. They entered another mystery dungeon.

"Next up is Dark Hill. Watch the walls. We can get ambushed easily." Grovyle warned.

Dark Hill was much different compared to the last dungeon. Cyndaquil and Grovyle stood on a blue-green floor with small ponds of water, all surrounded by purple rocky walls. This water was moving. It seemed like the world paralysis could not reach mystery dungeons. This could be why they met no sane pokemons outside. The only place they could survive would be inside mystery dungeons. Only ghost pokemons appeared in the mystery dungeon and they used their spectral form to go through walls and ambush the explorers. At least, Cyndaquil and Grovyle had moves to fight them even though Cyndaquil did not have a particular move that could be very effective against ghosts. They eventually managed to go through Dark Hill and find another spot to rest.

"I'll admit this. Before all of this, I never cared much of it. I just wanted to live my life and I didn't know about Dialga or the time gears. However, as I travelled into the wastelands, I stumbled across an operation led by a pokemon that could control time. It wasn't Dialga but one named Celebi. She told me about how we could change the past to make our present better so I embarked. There, I learned about time gears and how a chosen one, Meowth, was meant to restore balance in time. I made some friends, one of them being Quilava. He had the scream just like you but was older. We've been in a war against Dialga and his forces to restore the past. They would never let Celebi use her temporal powers to save our world claiming we should just stick to the present then the future. Though, would you really stick to the present if you could change the past?" Grovyle confessed.

Cyndaquil was hesitating. The past usually could not be changed let alone that easily. Though, if given the opportunity, he could reconsider anytime. He just raised his shoulder.

"Yes, it's a hard decision to make and it could be abused easily if into the wrong hands. I only want to change the past once and if it goes well that'll be fine by me. But if it goes wrong I'll learn my lesson and focus on the present instead. Let's get some rest before the last dungeon." Grovyle concluded.

Cyndaquill stayed awake for a bit. He thought of Meowth who could be lonely back in the past. He wanted to return among him. He was happy with him. He also wanted to tell Grovyle he was Quilave but could not find the gestures in his mind to confess it. He had no choice but to carry on. He fell asleep and woke up later. As with last time, he had no idea for how long he had been sleeping. He followed Grovyle into another entrance to a dungeon.

"This is the last obstacle before we can get to our friend, Sealed Ruins. Thankfully, no ghost lives there and there is not a single bottomless pit." Grovyle reassured.

Inside, they walked on yellow-brown rocky floor surrounded by green-brown rocky walls. There was not a omnipresent type in particular. Even the steel type, the most frequent one inside the mystery dungeon, barely set the majority. They found a little area to catch their breath and pressed on. The second half was the same as the first half. They ended up in another area where an odd stone was lying on the ground. Cyndaquil wanted to see the stone from closer but Grovyle grabbed him and dragged him behind.

"Don't get anywhere near that rock. It's a trap. Let me handle it." Grovyle whispered.

Cyndaquil nodded. Grovyle slowly approached the rock with his hands in the air. The rock slowly trembled.

"Clever one, clever ones. What brings foolish ones here?" A ghastly voice spoke.

Cyndaquil looked at the stone. It was moving on its own. He was scared but Grovyle remained calm.

"We are just passing by. I and my friend need to get to Dusk Forest." Grovyle answered.

"Foolish ones wish to get there? There is nothing there for the foolish ones or the ignorant ones. Shall the spirited one fight the foolish ones for the right to reach such an empty place?" It replied.

"I must meet a friend there."

"A friendly one you said? Is it by any mean the temporal one? If so, how can I know you are not authoritarian ones, the ones who want to hunt down the temporal one, the ones who want to keep the power to themselves?"

"My desire is to help everyone I meet on my path to my own goal."

"Is that so? In case, what does the foolish one has to say?"

"And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not."

Grovyle's odd responses caused the stone to move even more. It approached the explorers and an ethereal composition of swirling purple fog came out the stone. Cyndaquil backed away out of fear but fell on his back.

"The wandering one knows he could have told me this in the first place to pass." It pointed out.

Cyndaquil got back on his feet and went to see the form.

"I forgot to mention this to you, Cyndaquil. This here is Spiritomb. He's our scout. He surveys the pass between Sealed Ruins and Dusk Forest to guide pokemons like us to Celebi and anyone else away. He can hid himself in his keystone and ambush those who don't listen to his warnings." Grovyle explained.

"Welcome, little one! The spirited one hopes he did not scare the little one too much." Spiritomb chuckled.

"He also never refers anyone by their name or specie but rather by adjectives. So, Spiritomb, which path should we take today?" Grovyle said.

"Yes. The wandering ones should first head north once inside the forest then east once they reach a junction to get to the temporal one. Good luck, wandering ones." The spiritomb bid.

Meowth and Grovyle left the spiritomb and rested near the entrance of Dusk Forest.

"This is where we're settled. They'll gear us up to return in the past and complete what we failed earlier. This time, we know who's pursuing us. This time, I know not to commit the same mistake. This time, I won't fail." Grovyle said.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The Secret of the Planet's Palarysis**

A few hours later, Cyndaquil and Grovyle entered Dusk Forest. They followed Spiritomb's directions. They walked on moist brown dirt floors into corridors made by the many green pine trees that made the forest. Through their exploration, they met some jumpluffs, mothims, mismagiuses and gabites, all of them being wild. They reached a dead end with a tree stump standing in the middle. Grovyle approached the stump and knocked in a quirky way. The stump moved revealing a hole and Grovyle jumped in. Cyndaquil followed him. Inside, they were welcomed by a few sane pokemons.

"Welcome back, Grovyle! It's great to see more familiar faces these days! The boss's waiting to see you in her room." One of the pokemons said.

Grovyle nodded and went into a corridor with Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil looked around and saw all kinds of pokemons making preparations whether it was training or provisions. They entered a room with a pokemon Cyndaquil never saw before. This one was a pink fairy-like creature. It had round toeless feet, three-fingered hands, and clear wings on its back. It had a round head that came to a curved point. It had large baby-blue eyes with thick black rings around them, and a pair of pink antennae with green tips. It seemed upset. It was hovering behind a vast table with the map of many huge islands and some smaller ones on it, certainly a map of the world Cyndaquil thought.

"What happened back there?" The pokemon coldly asked.

"I wish I could explain." Grovyle answered.

"You wish? First, Quilava went MIA and I couldn't find him anymore! Then, you too went MIA, Grovyle! I couldn't see you through my temporal readings for days when I could finally see you, you got caught! Explain this!"

"I'm not sure how it happened. I slept in Meowth's secret house in Treasure Town like every other day. Then, I woke up in Dusknoir's arms in Crystal Cave. As for Quilava, I'm as confused as you and do not know what happened to him at all. That's all I know."

The pokemon exasperatedly sighed. Cyndaquil moved forward and pointed her.

"Oh, pardon me. I'm Celebi, leader of the rebels here. Who are you?" It said.

Cyndaquil just pointed himself then pointed Celebi again.

"So you're Cyndaquil, heh? Welcome in our little base. Grovyle must've told you about our plan." She said.

Cyndaquil nodded. Celebi looked back at Grovyle.

"I got in contact with Meowth thanks to the orb in the stash you left in his house. He said you got taken over by something which could explain why you went rogue but I can't think of anyone or anything that possesses the power to manipulate anyone against their will." She said.

Cyndaquil pointed her.

"Is there something on me? Don't think I'm the one who did this. That'll be pretty stupid of me to send my best mon into a trap." She asked.

Cyndaquil had to find a way to express what he really meant. It did not help that he could not speak. He looked around and found a piece of glass and grabbed it. He went to Celebi and showed her her own reflection then pointed the eyes.

"Yeah? What's wrong with my eyes?" She asked.

Cyndaquil then went to Grovyle and pointed his eyes.

"What's with his eyes?" Celebi confusedly asked again.

"I think I figured out what he means. When I got manipulated, my eyes became blue." Grovyle said.

"Well, that's a lead. We know our culprit has blue eyes but it could still be anyone. There are still many pokemons with blue eyes. Promise me it won't happen again, Grovyle, and promise me you'll find Quilava."

"I promise. Now, let's get to the real deal. Why is our world still paralysed? I thought bringing Meowth into the prophecy would be enough to restore our present."

"According to my temporal readings, Meowth was unable to fulfill the prophecy."

"How so?"

"After you left, he snapped at his friends and gave up on the prophecy…"

"This means we need to go back and convince him to stick to it."

"Grovyle, I would like it if you don't interrupt me mid-sentence. I was about to tell you the real reason of his failure. Understood?"

"Noted."

"However, the friends he made at the guild sided with him and believed his story about you being overtaken by something. So, Meowth got the whereabouts of the last time gear from Team Charm and travelled to the Limestone Cavern to find it. As they entered cavern, the same thing happened as you. Meowth went MIA and when I could finally see him he was lying down on the ground mortally wounded along with Team Charm and Lady Weavile."

"Lady Weavile? She's not the kind of pokemon to hunt down others like that. Plus, she can't be that strong without Team AWD. What would she do there, of all the places, without her team?"

"My thought exactly. I observed her through my temporal readings and she suddenly went MIA. Those occurrences happen when the victim is asleep. I suspect a psychic, a dark or a ghost type pokemon first locked them into sleep via hypnosis or a similar move then manipulated them. Though, one must be so powerful they can do it from anywhere without being seen or felt."

"What about Dusknoir? He's a ghost type."

"I doubt it. Dusknoir follows Dialga's rules. It could be plausible but, first, if Dusknoir had such power he could catch you as soon as you went in the past. Second, he would never change anything after his mission done. He would've let things play as usual unless he felt the present would be significantly changed. Finally, Dusknoir can't learn Hypnosis which means he has no way to lock someone into sleep."

"So Dusknoir is out the list. The thing that killed Meowth and co seems strong. How can we confront it?"

"I might have an idea. There's a swan-like pokemon Meowth kept seeing at every domain. It might have some information about who might be behind all this and could beat it for us. However, because she's not a mortal like you, I can't read her temporal life so you'll have to approach it by yourself. The keepers might know where it goes and how to speak to it. When you left, they stayed in town for a while to heal up."

"Let me get the plan: First, you lead us back to the end of Dusk Forest to send us back to the past. Second, we talk to the keepers to reach the swan-like pokemon to get its help. Third, we join Meowth to get the last time gear and stop what took over Lady Weavile. Finally, we can let Meowth fulfill the prophecy and return home."

"That summarizes it. I hope nothing else happens after that. Also, where did you get Cyndaquil?"

"He got washed up on the beach days ago in the past and became Meowth's friend. I saw them at the guild in the same day you sent me to in the past and they joined it as Team Pokepals. I first thought he was a spy to catch me but it turned out it was some commoner Dusknoir brought back to the present. I'm still not sure how he managed to travel into the past. You never saw him before, right?"

"No I didn't. Only Dialga and I have temporal powers and I doubt Dialga would send Cyndaquil into the past even as a form of punishment. Since Dusknoir doesn't seem to like him, you should keep him with us. That'll make some more monpower when we'll need it the most. Get yourselves geared up and join me at the entrance. We'll go deeper in Dusk Forest and perform the portal at the same place as last time, Grovyle."

A pokemon erupted in the place, horrified. Everyone looked at him. It fell on the table. Celebi helped it get back on its feet.

"What's going on?" Celebi asked.

"Dialga's forces, they discovered our hideout! We need to…"

A sudden explosion shook the room. Everyone fell on the ground but got back up. They had no time to lose.

"Not now! Grovyle, bring Cyndaquil to the same place we opened the portal as last time! I'll join you there!" Celebi ordered.

She then immediately left the room.

"EVERYONE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Her voice yelled.

Grovyle took Cyndaquil in his arm and ran out of the room. Once outside, they saw the rebels fighting sableyes. Those were indeed Dialga's forces. Grovyle broke a petrify orb to neutralize all the sableyes here and left the hideout. He went deeper in the forest with Cyndaquil. Many steel and rock pokemons tried to bar their way but Grovyle managed to steamroll through everything. He could not let his guard down. Cyndaquil's and his life were in danger. They had to flee. A few vulpixes, leafeon and hippowdons were also in the way but got defeated easily. Grovyle managed to find Celebi again who was hiding behind a tree. They all looked forward and saw Dusknoir waiting for them with a dozen of sableyes.

"What are we gonna do?" Grovyle asked.

"Years of planning turned into dust, I can't let that happen. We're so close of accomplishing our plan. Alright, listen up. We need to find another place to…" Celebi began.

"… To get caught." A voice mocked.

They all looked behind. The sergeant was standing there with another dozen of sableyes. He was grinning.

"Do you want to see how much you would've failed?" He asked.

Grovyle took Celebi too and ran toward Dusknoir. He thought that the open area would allow them to avoid everyone. He was proven otherwise when, once the trees stopped blocking the sight to the sky, he saw a dark blue sauropod-like Pokémon with some gray metallic portions, such as its chestplate, which has a red diamond in the center. It also had various orange stripes. It had a fin-like structure on its back and a crest on its head, resembling a dinosaur. It also had two horns on top of its head, two fang-like horns around its mouth, and three spines on the back of its neck. It had three claws on each foot of the same metallic looks as its chestplate. Faint cracks existed across its body. It was standing right behind Dusknoir. The group stopped and Grovyle put both Cyndaquil and Celebi down.

"Well, will you give up now?" Dusknoir impatiently asked.

"You will never kill the dream of saving the world, Dusknoir! As long as some of us still lives, as long as more of you see the fault in your ways, as long as some of you join our cause, our dream will never die!" Grovyle declared.

"Stop it, Grovyle, and look around you. It's over. You can't take on everyone here. You can't return to the past either. Dialga will not allow you. You're about to commit the biggest crime and mistake in history and no one will be able to document it or learn from it. Now, will you finally surrender to avoid more casualties?"

"You do know I didn't travel to the past alone, do you?"

Grovyle was confident when he said this. Celebi looked away, unsure. Dusknoir chuckled.

"Is that so? Grovyle, haven't you figured out by now? Are we speaking about Quilava or should I say Cyndaquil?" Dusknoir pointed out.

Celebi was shocked. She looked at Cyndaquil. The latter knew it would come. He could not find a way to tell it to anyone so he had no other choice than letting time tell them. Grovyle did not seem surprised. He chuckled too. This gave a bizarre vibe to Dusknoir.

"What? You thought I didn't know that, Dusknoir? I knew it as soon as I saw Cyndaquil. His story didn't add up at all. The temporal readings could not see him so I concluded he was from our era. Plus, he has the scream and knew many tricks and secrets just like Quilava. It was too much information to just be a coincidence. Finally, the biggest giveaway was that he cannot speak. Even if you caught us two, you failed, Dusknoir. Our plan is still going." Grovyle brought up.

"You're bluffing. You can't possibly tell me this when you're the one who got caught. Please, I'm begging you. Stop this, all of you. You've caused enough trouble just by travelling into the past. You are putting everyone's life in danger especially yours. How can you be so optimistic despite all of that?"

"That's because the plan is not launched yet."

Grovyle pulled a seed out of his bag. Celebi saw it and grabbed after Grovyle's arm.

"No, Grovyle! I forbid you to do it! That's an order!" Celebi begged.

"I'm sorry, Celebi. I know you wanted us two to witness the sun rising and all that but I have to. Otherwise, the day will never come and everything we planned would've been for nothing. Please, allow me. I'm gonna move everyone out of the way so you and Cyndaquil can travel back to the past and help Meowth with the prophecy." Grovyle whispered.

"But you can't contain that much power in you. You're not fully evolved yet."

"It doesn't matter. Either way, I'm as good as dead. Listen, once I eat the seed, I'll put you two on my back and move everyone out of the way. I'll put you on the summoning point so you can open the portal and I'll hold off anyone that dares try to follow you."

Celebi began to cry but let go the arm. Grovyle ate the seed and closed his eyes. His body glew white and grew bigger. He became a sceptile just like that but his head crests became more pointed with a round portion missing from the middle. Red markings surrounded its eyes, which became smaller and narrower. The yellow seeds down its back grew larger. The last pair of seeds turned red, while the pair above it turned orange. Red stripes encircled the base of its tail and ran across its lower belly. The leaves on his wrists became more pointed, and the upper ones had red tips and half-circles cut out of the middles. Covering its chest and shoulders were plates of leaves similar to those that form its tail. Grovyle's tail grew longer and developed a red stinger at the tip.

"The fool! He won't last long like that!" Dusknoir yelled.

He grabbed Cyndaquil and Celebi and put them on his shoulders. He roared once which was enough to scare off the sableyes save for the sergeant. Grovyle swiped his tail and knocked Dusknoir and the sergeant away. The only obstacle left was Dialga. Grovyle grabbed the pokemon and used all his strength to move it out of the way. He managed to lift it and threw it on Dusknoir. He then put down his friends on the summoning point.

"Now, Celebi!" He ordered.

Celebi focused her energy and opened a portal. She did not go in yet as she wanted Grovyle to come with her.

"Come on, Grovyle! We can all go together!" She said.

"I can't! You go with Cyndaquil. I'll hold them off like I said! Find Meowth again and complete the mission!" Grovyle replied.

Celebi stood still. Cyndaquil had to grab her and throw her inside the portal.

"No, please, Grovyle! Come with us! Don't leave yourself behind like that!" She begged before she vanished inside the portal.

Cyndaquil looked back at Grovyle. Grovyle felt a sudden pain and fell on his knee. He devolved back into his normal form. All the sableyes came back and beat him down. Cyndaquil immediately went inside the portal. It closed behind him. He found Celebi again inside the portal and grabbed after her to not be parted away. This time, they had to succeed.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: A New Dawn**

As soon as they left the portal, Cyndaquil and Celebi rolled on the ground and hit a tree. They were stunned for a little while but managed to recover. They stood up and looked around. Many trees surrounded them and some flowers grew on the grassy ground. Cyndaquil looked at Celebi who was still shocked. She was looking at the portal slowly shrinking until it completely vanished.

"I can't believe it happened… My plan… My lover… My people… Let's rest for now. I need to proceed all the information I got fed." She whispered.

With the lack of supplies due to the surprise attack on the hideout, Cyndaquil had to venture inside the forest to find food and other items. He noticed stairs hinting him he was inside a mystery dungeon but did not take them as he would be separated from Celebi. He had to stick with her until their mission was completed. Once an adequate amount of supplies was collected, he returned to Celebi who was crying. He put the supplies away and went to comfort her.

"He's gone. Everything's gone." She said.

Cyndaquil put his paw on her shoulder to reassure her.

"I don't know what to do, Cynda… I mean Quilava. I'm thinking of giving up. I can't do this anymore. What took me to pull so many pokemons into this?" She kept crying.

Cyndaquil shook her in an attempt to bring her back to her senses.

"Look what just happened, Quilava! Grovyle, all those rebels at the hideout, they're all gone! They even executed Grovyle! I saw him being pushed into the void in my temporal readings. Let's just give up and…" She began.

Cyndaquil's vision slowly darkened until perfect dark.

 _It then came back showing the crater in the future where he was nearly executed. This time, he saw Grovyle held by many sableyes. He was severely wounded but still standing. The sergeant and Dusknoir just arrived in time for his execution._

" _Do you have any last words?" Dusknoir asked._

 _Grovyle did not say anything for a while. The sergeant became impatient and was about to push him down the crater but Dusknoir stopped him._

" _I understand that you do not want anyone to change the past but hear me out on this one thing: You are as guilty as anyone else for turning a blind eye to this possibility and to have changed certain events yourself." Grovyle said._

" _It does not matter for me. Once I dispose of your remaining friends, everything will be restored to normal." Dusknoir replied then left the place._

 _The sergeant kicked Grovyle in the back, pushing him down the crater. Grovyle slowly disintegrated. He cried a little._

" _I'm sorry… Celebi… Quilava… Please… Help Meowth for me…" He whispered before being completely disintegrated._

Cyndaquil snapped out of it and looked back at Celebi. She was still in shock so he had to do something more than shaking her. It did not take much for Cyndaquil to bring her back to her senses. He punched her on the cheek, with his paw. Celebi snapped out of it too and grabbed her pained cheek and looked at Cyndaquil.

"I know. I can't give up like that. Everything seems hopeless but Grovyle wouldn't want me to give up that fast. I'm the one who founded this rebellion, the one who mounted this plan to restore our world. I must keep on even if I have barely anything left. At least, I found you back, Quilava. Alright, let's set off. We have work to do. We're in Treeshroud Forest, far east-northeast of Treasure Town, but Meowth already has the time gear here thanks to someone who moved it to Mount Bristle. We need to go to the town and find Meowth. Unfortunately, since we couldn't get an Escape Orb, we need to take the long way by going through the entire mystery dungeon." She finally said.

They headed out through the forest. On their way out, they fought many psychic type pokemons and a few others. They left the forest through the stairs and headed toward the town. Once outside, they saw the surroundings of the forest turned grey and all the rivers here frozen in time. The rate it reached was quite worrisome if the time gear was taken days ago or a little reassuring if it was weeks, months or years ago.

"We're back in the past. It's just that this time gear got taken away by someone who wasn't a chosen one." Celebi said.

The path would be a very long one. They would have to pass by Mount Bristle first before reaching Treasure Town. Through the travel, Celebi used her temporal reading powers to figure out when they were.

"Alright, we landed in the period where Grovyle went MIA. By the time we reach Treasure Town, he and you would've been sent back to the present. Your previous self and grovyle are not our priority. We need to find Meowth and complete our mission. I would've wanted to minimize our intervention in this but this time we HAVE to help him directly. Dusknoir already knows what we're up to and we can't afford to fail again." She explained.

Cyndaquil nodded and they kept travelling. On their way to the town, they did not encounter much resistance besides the wild pokemons wandering. Either Dusknoir no longer had an idea where Cyndaquil and Celebi could be or he was playing the waiting game to trap them. Either way, this would give Cyndaquil and Celebi an opportunity to resume their mission and perhaps complete it.

"I'm still baffled about how you got turned into a cyndaquil. Usually, travelling through time doesn't make you younger or older. You saw us travelling into time and neither of us rejuvenated. Something must have cursed you the first time we went inside the portal. What's even more confusing is that you lost your memories too yet only recovered them when Dusknoir exposed you to us." Celebi brought up.

Cyndaquil had no idea either. They had to rest once before continuing their path.

"Hmm, I wasn't expecting you to be able to answer. You may know a lot but we're all limited in knowledge. I'm no exception either. Alright, we reached Mount Bristle. We're close to the town." She said.

They arrived at the foot of Mount Bristle's northern entrance. Though they could walk around it, going inside gave better benefits. Not only they would restock on supplies and have a chance to obtain an Escape Orb but they could also make it harder for Dialga's forces to find them. Not much had changed in the mountain for Cyndaquil. The same pokemons inhabited it. They managed to reach the southern entrance of the mountain but did not find any Escape Orb. They still had some walk to do before they could reach Treasure Town. However, it seemed that luck smiled on them when they saw Drowzee about to enter the mountain. He was wearing a belt that went on his shoulder and the other side. A badge from the guild was attached on the belt.

"Excuse me, sir? Do you have by any mean an Escape Orb on you? We've been walking for a day straight and we're tired." Celebi asked.

"Why yes I do have a…"

Drowzee then saw Cyndaquil. He was surprised.

"Are you alright, sir?" Celebi asked again.

"Cyndaquil!? No, you're not that same cyndaquil who got pulled into that portal by that dusknoir, are you?" Drowzee gasped.

Cyndaquil nodded.

"By Arceus, it's a miracle! Meowth got so upset when you left! I'm sure he'll be happy to see you again!" Drowzee brought up.

Cyndaquil smiled but pointed the belt.

"Oh? Yes I joined the guild. I had enough to be constantly saved and I wanted to be able to defend myself on my own. You know, it's a bit embarrassing when children are braver and stronger than you." Drowzee pointed out.

Cyndaquil giggled. Celebi stepped back in. There was no time to fool around with Dusknoir after them.

"So, you said you have an Escape Orb on you right?" Celebi asked again.

"Forgive my manners, miss…"

"Celebi, from the future just like Quil… I mean Cyndaquil."

"We already know he's named Quilava but Celebi, as in the time traveller!?"

"How do you know me?"

"I'm usually an historian and an archeologist which is why I hire exploration teams to escort me whenever I travel to dangerous places. I've been studying legendary pokemons for years. Do you happen to know any here besides the keepers? Also, how did you get back so fast?"

"I don't have much time right now and time travelling is a complex subject. I'll explain everything to you when I'll have more time."

"I see. I can give you my escape orb." Drowzee said as he searched in his bag and pulled out a small orb.

He approached Celebi and gave her the orb.

"Arent' you coming with us?" Celebi asked.

"I wish I could but I have to make it to Mount Travail and it's a long way from here. I have to go through Mount Bristle first then Maze Cave before I can even reach my destination. With that, farewell and may you find what you seek, friends." Drowzee bid before entering Mount Bristle.

Celebi grabbed Cyndaquil by the arm and rubbed the orb. It shined in a powerful white light and a beam of light from the sky engulfed them. They lifted off and rocketed to the sky.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: The Guild's Crew**

The beam of light beamed down Celebi and Cyndaquil at the entrance of Treasure Town. At the same time, Team Whsitleleaf was about to leave for a job when they saw the light. They were not surprised at first. It was always what happened when an exploration team used an Escape Orb and it always brought it at the entrance of Treasure Town. But, when it vanished, Team Whistleleaf recognized Cyndaquil. Sunflora quickly ran to the guild while Loudred ran to the newcomers.

"ARE YOU FOR REAL!? I'M NOT JUST SEEING THINGs FOR BEING EXPOSED TO A TIME PORTAL, RIGHT!?" Loudred screamed.

Cyndaquil sure did not miss that trait from him. Since it had been a little while he did not see him, he covered his ears.

"Oh, sorry, I got a bit carried away but you're back!" Loudred whispered.

Cyndaquil also remembered that Loudred was unable to whisper like anyone else. It was like normally speaking to Loudred. In the distance, Sunflora was dragging Meowth by the arm. When those two reached the others, Meowth immediately jumped at Cyndaquil to hug him. He was more than just happy to see him again.

"Oh Cyndaquil! Where have you been? I thought I lost you for good back there!" He said and almost cried in Cyndaquil's arms.

Everyone calmed down and then noticed Celebi's presence.

"Who's that? Where's Grovyle?" Meowth asked.

"I'm Celebi and…" Celebi began.

She hesitated to answer for Grovyle's absence but the others figured it out by themselves. Grovyle would never come back. Everyone returned to the guild where more pokemons were surprised to see Cyndaquil again. The ruckus caused Chatot to intervene into calming down everyone and asking them to carry on. Now that this was taken care of, he called Meowth and Cyndaquil into the office. Celebi had to stay outside.

"Welcome back, Cyndaquil! It's great you came back but weren't you gone? I thought you were sent in the future by the private investigator." Chatot asked.

Cyndaquil had to let Celebi enter the office to answer Chatot.

"This pokemon is with you? Well, I am Chatot, advisor of the guildmaster, a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you, Chatot. I am Celebi, the time traveller."

Chatot gasped.

"Celebi!? What brings you there?" Chatot awkwardly asked.

"I'm not the celebi from this present time. I'm one from a distant future. I had to bring Cyndaquil back here."

"But what about Grovyle? Why are you in our time period? Why did Dusknoir take Cyndaquil away?"

"To start out, Dusknoir was never a private investigator. He is in fact working with Dialga. Dialga, however, lost his powers and reverted into a primal form preventing him to control his body or powers. Dusknoir is using Dialga's powers for his own ends which are to control time and space. He chased us down to prevent us to stop him. We're trying to restore time and it just happened that the problem was in your time period. I suspect Dusknoir caused a time paradox somewhere in your time period with Dialga's powers."

"I knew a dusknoir could not open up time portals but I did not know he was using someone as powerful as Dialga to do so. What does your present look like?"

"In our present, the world is frozen in time and mystery dungeons are the only places where we can stay."

"That's very dangerous to stay in a mystery dungeon for too long. Some explorers reported that their friends became feral when they tried to inhabit one themselves. What is your purpose in our time period and how does it link with yours?"

"We travelled to your time period because that's when the world paralysis began. We found out about Meowth being a chosen one and the time gears so we helped him with this. However, Dusknoir found out and brought us back in our time period."

"Alright, this answers most of my questions in some way but I'm going to ask you this once: why should I trust you let alone believe you?"

Celebi was about to answer but Meowth stepped in.

"What about the prophecy? The world isn't meant to end like this." Meowth pointed out.

"Yes but in the future, you will fail which means the world is supposed to be this way. We shouldn't interfere with time at all. We don't know the consequences for sure." Chatot answered.

"But what about the keepers? What about Arceus? You're telling me you want to see the efforts they put into saving our world be in vain? If so you should just tell them not to bother."

"Meowth, I will refer you back to my previous statement."

"No! You're telling that because something is bound to happen I should let it be. I am not going to do nothing when all of this will happen!"

"It did not happen yet!"

"But it will and I won't let it happen. It's like if you're sending an exploration team to a dangerous expedition and know about it but decide to do nothing to help them thus dooming them."

Chatot closed his eyes and sighed. He looked back at Meowth.

"Why do you insist so much, Meowth? Your comparison does not work. In one case, you're talking about inaction while in another one it's unpredictable. You just know it because someone from the future told you so. Just let it go and focus on the present." Chatot explained.

"But what are these time gears? Why are the keepers telling me about gathering them? Even if it wasn't from my friends from the future who told me about the world paralysis, I could still foresee it with those. You're asking me to do nothing. It's like you don't want me to do my job as a member of the guild. I'm sorry but no. This time, I won't listen to you. I only have one time gear left and I haven't come this far so you could just tell me to give up! You wanna know why? Recite me the three fundamental rules of our institute." Meowth said.

Chatot stared at Meowth for a while. Cyndaquil and Celebi just stood there in silence. Celebi could help Meowth but she chose not to. The suspense was killing everyone until Chatot opened his mouth.

"Rule one… Don't shirk work." He first whispered.

"That's right! You told me to never refuse to help pokemons and now you want me to turn down that rule? Also, do you still believe Grovyle is an outlaw? If so, why would he come to save me from Team Skull in Apple Woods? Why would he get Team AWD off my back in Foggy Forest? Think about it." Meowth continued.

Chatot slowly stood up from his chairs with his wings still on the desks.

"Rule two… Run away and pay." He then whispered.

"Exactly! If I do nothing I'm not the only one who's gonna pay for it. Everyone will. What business did Grovyle have to hurt the keepers? He already knew the time gear in Foggy Forest was in my possession. As for the other ones, he couldn't. I saw him at those places, how he did not even pay attention to me in Northern Desert or Crystal Cave. That's not the Grovyle I knew. His eyes were blue instead of the usual yellow as if something took over him. Even I can tell he wasn't himself at the moment. How about you?" Meowth said.

"Rule three…"

Chatot stared at Meowth for a while but something else caught his attention. He went to the door and opened it. Outside the office, there were many pokemons eavesdropping on the conversation. In fact, all the students of the guild, the guildmaster and the other employees as well as nearly all the townsfolks of Treasure Town were listening to the dispute from outside. Obviously, Drowzee was absent but so were the Rill brothers for some odd reason. Chatot looked at everyone. There was dead air but it did not take long before Chatot sighed and…

"RULE ONE!" He shouted.

"DON'T SHIRK WORK!" The others shouted back.

"RULE TWO!"

"RUN AWAY AND PAY!"

"RULE THREE!"

"SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Meowth saw all the pokemons who came to his side. He smiled when they all recited the three fundamental rules of the guild. Chatot turned back to Meowth.

"Alright, I see you are insisting on this. In that case, I won't stop you. In fact, I want to thank you for bringing me back to my senses and remind me of our duty as members of the guild. I will also let you explore wherever you want. Even if the future seems to be set, we can still change it. And with that, the guild is counting on you. Please, succeed for all of us." Chatot said, on the edge of crying.

Now that Meowth had Chatot's approval, he could finally speak to Celebi about the location of the last time gear. However, Azelf, who was still in town surprisingly, met Meowth.

"Chosen one, I forgot to give you something back in Crystal Cave." Azelf brought up.

He then gave Meowth a pendant like the two others he received from the other keepers but this one had a blue stone instead. Meowth wore it around his neck with then two other pendants.

"Once you retrieve the last time gear and go to sleep, you should get one last dream from our lord and savior to guide you into your last step of fulfilling the prophecy. The three pendants you wear should allow you to get to Dialga's domain once you retrieve the last time gear. Good luck, my friend, and may you succeed in what you were destined to." Azelf concluded.

Meowth did not bother to ask him about the last time gear. He remembered Azelf telling him that he had to find it himself. He returned in his room to gather the time gears he already had and the relic fragment and put them back in his bag. He met up with Cyndaquil and Celebi.

"So, where's that last time gear?" Meowth asked.

"The last time gear should be in Limestone Cavern. It's a long way to the south. We first need to go through Southern Jungle right next to Midnight Forest then Boulder Quarry before we can even get there. I estimate it'd take us at least a week before we can reach Limestone Cavern. Before we go, I need to speak to your keeper friend about something important." Celebi explained.

The trio left the guild. All the townsfolk were cheering for them. They eventually found the keepers in the crowd. They were by the well, ready to leave as soon as they had to. Celebi went to see them.

"So, you are from the future, right? You must have witnessed the horror." Uxie commented.

"Indeed I have but I'm here to ask you about your swan-like friend. Can I speak to her?" Celebi asked.

"It depends. Cresselia rarely speaks to anyone, even to immortals like us. She's only interested into hunting down what she calls the fuel of nightmares. Why do you ask?" Mesprit said.

"Listen. I've foreseen an unavoidable doom for Meowth in Limestone Cavern thanks to my temporal readings. Your friend will not be there when it will happen so I need her to be there when Meowth reaches the place. That fuel of nightmares you're speaking of might be thing that will stop Meowth."

Meowth got worried when he heard he will fail his quest. He remembered the name the swan-like pokemon said.

"This is a subject not to be taken lightly. I suppose you have evidences of such thing." Azelf asked.

Celebi approached the keepers and held their arms. She closed her eyes and the keepers had their eyes glowing white. Once their eyes stopped glowing, they gasped.

"That thing… It went in all our domains? I couldn't see anything but this pattern is undeniable." Uxie claimed, surprised.

"That grovyle was possessed all along…" Mesprit whispered, disturbed.

"That settles it. We are in your hands. We will contact Cresselia. She will be at Limestone Cavern once you reach the last time gear. She won't show up until things go wrong. We need to catch that thing at all cost." Azelf declared.

Everything was ready. The trio was about to head out until Marill went to them, crying.

"Help! Someone!" He cried.

He tripped on a rock before he could reach anyone. The trio looked at him. They may have no time to help Marill but they could not neglect anyone. Meowth helped Marill get back up on his feet.

"What's wrong, little buddy?" Meowth calmly asked.

"My little brother isn't waking up! He's been sleeping for a whole day! I've tried everything to wake him up but nothing worked! Please, I need help!" Marill explained.

It worried the keepers even more. Everyone went to the Rill brothers' house. Chatot and Chansey were already there examining Azurill who was still sleeping. The guildmaster just arrived too to see what was going on. He had a plainer face this time.

"What do you think it is?" Chatot asked.

"He seems to be stuck in a nightmare but it doesn't seem like a normal one from a standard ghost pokemon. It's much more powerful than that. I tried the typical treatment, Chesto Berry and Heal Seed if the former didn't work, but neither worked. I can't explain how it was done or who did this." Chansey diagnosed.

"This… This is something only the fuel of nightmares could do." One of the keepers, Mesprit, said.

"Fuel of nightmare?" Chatot asked, worried.

"An evil spirit that seeks revenge on the world. It used to be imprisoned in the Dark Crater a long time ago but rumors among gods say it escaped and began tormenting everyone it sees. Only one who knows Dream Eater could see what is happening in the nightmare but even then he could not lift up the nightmare until the fuel of nightmares either is defeated or choose to cancel it out, the latter being nearly improbable. We know someone who could life up the curse but it's best for her to directly defeat and imprison the fuel of nightmares as this thing could just bestow a nightmare on its victims again. It is however possible for anyone to lift up the nightmare if a dream eater sends that pokemon inside the nightmare." Uxie explained.

"I might have someone in my guild that could check on that nightmare. He recently joined but he left for Mount Travail for a mission. I'll send some teams to bring him back to town."

Cyndaquil went to see Chatot and proposed himself.

"But what about Meowth? You can't leave him alone like that." Chatot pointed out.

"I have it covered, friend. Team Charm can go with Meowth to Limestone Cavern. They know the way. Team Woodwater and Team Whistleleaf can go with Cyndaquil to Mount Travail." The guildmaster brought up.

Everything was set. The guildmaster messaged Team Charm to come over and prepare to escort Meowth to his destination. The other students joined Cyndaquil and made some preparations on their side. Celebi went with the keepers to contact the swan-like pokemon and have her wait in Limestone Cavern. She remained with the keepers in town. Meowth headed out first with Team Charm. The way to the last time gear would take at least a week according to Lopunny. Cyndaquil headed out too with the other students to Mount Travail, a trip that would only take a few days.

Meowth's trip started out quite calm. With an exploration team as highly ranked as Team Charm, he was confident he would get to Limestone Cavern in no time with only a few scratches. They reached their first obstacle, Southern Jungle, in an entire day. This mystery dungeon was pretty standard jungle with its towering palm trees and green grassy ground. Many flying pokemons inhabited the jungle with a few grass, poison and bug pokemons. Some mawiles, glameows and hippopotases were also encountered but, with Team Charm, Meowth managed to defeat everything that stood in his way. They went through the jungle in a day and took another to rest and gather supplies before heading out.

Their second obstacle was Boulder Quarry. It resembled more a canyon than a quarry but many boulders could be found there as its name suggested. Like some other dungeons, not a type in particular lived in huge quantity. The group arrived at a place with two paths to take. It was tempting to choose. One of the two paths would certainly lead to the exit while the other one would just lead straight to a dead end.

"Which way do we go?" Meowth asked.

"I don't really remember. It's been a long time since I haven't been here. Let's try the left path." Lopunny proposed.

The group took the left path. They ventured through and ended up back at the junction. They came back from the right path. Did this mystery dungeon not have an exit? It was then that Lopunny remembered something. She went to the wall separating the two paths.

"Medicham, I'll need your help to break down that wall between the two paths." Lopunny ordered.

Both she and Medicham stood by the wall and each prepared a move.

"HI JUMP KICK!" Medicham shouted.

"FOCUS PUNCH!" Lopunny shouted.

At two, they destroyed the wall, blowing it up in small rocks. A lairon was standing on the other side but ran away when he saw the group. It was not a behavior a wild pokemon would ever have. The group entered the new corridor.

"What do you mean the wall blew up!? We're under attack!? Place all mons at the entrance! We can't afford to lose our territory!" A powerful voice echoed.

The group reached the source of the voice. A pack of lairons led by an aggron stood in the way. The aggron looked at the group. He seemed aggressive at first but the look on his face changed for a more welcoming one

"Well, it's been a long time, girls! Welcome back and make yourself at home even if it means beating me down again!" The aggron jokingly greeted.

"You know them?" Meowth asked to Team Charm.

"Oh yeah I remember now! They were in the way when we wanted to get to Limestone Cavern. That's Aggron and his pack, the iron tribe. They live here and are one of the few groups that can resist the distortion in mystery dungeons thus preventing them to go feral." Lopunny explained.

The group stay a little bit with the pack. They were exhausted after having explored Boulder Quarry more than they wished. They sat around a stone table with Aggron. Lairons brought them food and water to accommodate their need in energy.

"So, tell me about yourselves! First, what's your stories? I wanted to know that from you when I first saw you girls a few years ago. Then, what brings you here?" Aggron asked.

"I don't have much of a story. I'm just a normal explorer from the Sand Continent." Lopunny simply answered.

"I used to be part of another team named Team Meanie back on the Air Continent but I left when our boss, a gengar, went on his know. He kept saying something about redeeming himself. So, when I heard a new continent was discovered, I jumped in the first boat and that's where I met my friends." Medicham told.

"I know a gengar too. I woke up in a place and he was the first thing I saw. Though, he left shortly after he brought me to a town in the Air Continent. He said I was too good for him or something. It's been a while I've seen. He must still be back there but I left to here when I heard they were looking for explorers to map this continent." Gardevoir said.

"I'm looking for something that resembles a blue cog around the size of my head." Meowth answered.

"Does it have a name?" Aggron asked.

"We call this a time gear."

Just as Meowth said this, something strange was happening. All the sounds died down. He looked around and saw everyone frozen in place. He was expecting them to look at him as if he said something weird. Only Aggorn seemed to be able to move but his eyes became green with red pupils. He stared at Meowth.

"YOU ARE DOING WELL, CHOSEN ONE. YOUR KNOWLEDGES, FRIENDS AND RESSOURFULNESS HAVE BROUGHT YOU TO THE RIGHT PLACE. THERE IS STILL ONE LAST OBSTACLE IN YOUR WAY BEFORE ACQUIRING THE LAST KEY TO THE PROPHECY. VENTURE DEEPER INTO THE QUARRY OF BOULDERS AND FIND THE CAVE OF LIMESTONE. FACE YOUR FINAL CHALLENGE AND CLAIM THE KEY AS YOURS. AND REMEMBER. DO NOT ALWAYS BELIEVE YOUR EYES." Aggron said with a different voice.

Meowth recognized it. It was the white blurry silhouette. He blinked once and everything returned to normal. Pokemons were moving as usual. Everyone looked at him.

"Oh yeah, there's something fitting your description. Deeper in our territory, there's an entrance to a place you outlanders named Limestone Cavern. One of my scouts told me about it but we decided to let it here because I had no interest in shiny things. I can escort you to the entrance if you want." Aggron said.

Meowth nodded and they stood up to get to the entrance Aggron spoke of. Meowth and Team Charm entered the cavern but Aggron stayed behind. They walked on the yellow-green rocky floor surrouned by its small ponds and rock pillars. Many water pokemons tried to fight them but, with Team Charm, Meowth did not even break a sweat. He did however become stronger with all the adventuring he did since he joined the guild. He learned so much from Cyndaquil and Grovyle and did his best to apply his knowledges to fight. Some bugs and other types also went in their way besides water pokemons. As they went deeper into Limestone Cavern, there were more bugs and stronger pokemons. They eventually reached a dead end with many statues of imposing-looking pokemons. Meowth recognized one of those statues to be the pokemon he faced inside the giant stone grail. At the end of the room, a red treasure chest decorated with golden borders stood on a large step. Aggron did not mention anything about a treasure. Either he was lying when he mention the time gear was there or this chest just got there. The time gear could be in this chest. The group slowly walked toward the chest while commenting on the statues. They got close to the chest. It stood there alone unprotected. It was bigger than even Aggron. Meowth tried to open it but the top did not budge. He first wondered if the last time gear could really be kept in there. What kind of challenge was that? Team Charm tried many ways to open the chest but in vain. Meowth just walked around the statues thinking about this challenge and what Aggron told him during the vision. It came to his mind that the chest itself might not be real. He returned to the chest and, instead of trying to open it, pressed his paws on it. They slowly sank inside the chest. Team Charm was surprised. The chest slowly changed color from red and gold to pink and shrank. It grew two small dots that acted as eyes and a large line appeared right under them. It was a ditto. It looked at Meowth and smiled.

"Hello there! I wasn't expecting someone to guess that one." The ditto greeted.

"I should've remembered it was all a trick!" Lopunny said, embarrassed.

"You should've and I remember you very well, girls! Anyway, what are you here for? It's not every day I get visit." The ditto cheerfully replied.

"Um, hi! I'm Meowth and I'm looking for a time gear." Meowth said.

"A time gear, you said? I might have one but I'm not giving it to anyone."

Meowth searched in his bag and pulled out the relic fragment with the encryption on it. The ditto examined it, curious. He then looked back at Meowth with a smile again.

"Ah! I've been waiting for that for years! Come on in! Only you, sir, the others will have to wait here." The ditto said as he moved aside, revealing a set of stairs.

Meowth followed the ditto down the stairs. They arrived at a fountain with the time gear spinning at the speed and rhythm of a clock. Meowth climbed the fountain and grabbed after the time gear. It stopped spinning and he took it out to put it in his bag. He returned upstairs to join back Team Charm.

"Keep with safe with you, kid!" The ditto bid.

The group was about to leave until slow claps echoed through the room and a whisper saying embargo followed them. They all looked at the exit and saw Lady Weavile. She was standing there clapping without her team, an unusual behavior for exploration team members. Her eyes, however, were not the usual red surrounded by white. They were instead white pupils surrounded by blue like when Grovyle was possessed. The thing was there but the swan-like pokemon was nowhere to be found. Meowth trembled.

"Congratulations on your exploit, chosen one." Weavile sarcastically said with a completely different voice.

It was definitively not her voice. It sounded more sinister and just hearing it gave Meowth nightmares. Weavile slowly approached the group. Team Charm stood in front of Meowth. They tried to use an Escape Orb but it did not work.

"Protect the chosen one at all cost!" Lopunny ordered to her friends.

"The chosen one, him? Don't make me laugh. It's just some kid destined to die just like everyone else. Now, here's a deal for you, girls: get out of my ways and I won't harm any of you. I just want the chosen one." Weavile mocked.

Team Charm charged at Lady Weavile.

"FOCUS BLAST!" Weavile shouted as he fired a white energy missile at Lopunny.

The damage on Lopunny was massive. She got instantly knocked out. Weavile turned toward the two others.

"SHADOW CLAWS!" She shouted.

She slashed both Gardevoir and Medicham. She was too fast. Team Charm did not even have time to react or even act. Team Charm was defeated in seconds. Weavile approached Meowth. The ditto was too scared and fled downstairs. Meowth tried to flee by running around the statues and reach the exit but Weavile grabbed him by the neck.

"Now, now, there's no need to run away. Sooner or later, you would've died anyway. I'm surprised you managed to start the prophecy. I heard the time gear in Treeshroud Forest was taken away by someone else. Shame I couldn't get it myself. So, do you want to put up a little fight before I kill you or will you die a coward trying to run away?" Weavile whispered.

The small time in engaging Weavile in a fight could buy enough time for the swan-like pokemon to reach Meowth before it was too late. He agreed to fight her. It did take long for the fight to be interrupted when…

"SIGNAL BEAM!" A voice shouted.

A beam of many different variants of purple went toward Weavile who barely dodged it. They looked at the entrance and saw the swan-like pokemon.

"Aw! Not fair! You have backup! Guess it's time for me to leave." Weavile playfully declared.

Meowth looked back at Weavile who just blinked once and her eyes returned to normal. She then fell on the ground unconscious while a substance, the same as the one that left Grovyle, crawled into her shadow that extended to a darker spot in the room. The swan-like pokemon tried to pursue the substance but it vanished into the darkness.

"Not again! I was so close to stop him!" It said.

She then turned back to Meowth and Team Charm who just woke up and patched themselves up.

"Good thing your friends from the future anticipated this. Otherwise, the prophecy would be ruined. Let's get all of you back to town." The swan-like pokemon said.

"Who are you? You keep leaving whenever I want to ask your name." Meowth asked.

"You already know my name but since you insist to hear it from me I am Cresselia, the lunar guardian. I've been chasing the fuel of nightmares for years and I finally found him on this part of the world. Since it's after you…" She began.

"If I cannot disrupt time, I can always disrupt…" The voice spoke.

Everyone looked around. What possessed Weavile was nowhere to be found but could still speak.

"… Space." Cresselia whispered.

"Space?" Meowth asked.

"I need to meet Palkia. I must make sure the fuel of nightmares does not get to him before I do. For now, I'll bring you and your friends back to town." Cresselia concluded.

All the others approached the lunar guardian who summoned a large beam of wind to warp everyone out, even the unconscious Weavile. She did not even need an Escape Orb.

In the meantime, Cyndaquil travelled with the other students. They first had to go through Mount Bristle and probably Labyrinth Cave before they could reach Mount Travail. Mount Bristle was like the two other times Cyndaquil went into. Nothing changed save for how ridiculously easy it was to defeat anything here because he was travelling with Team Woodwater and Team Whistleleaf. After this mystery dungeon, they went through more mountains to the east. They could keep going through them but the climb was too steep and perilous. They had to go inside Labyrinth Cave.

This one was as easy as Mount Bristle. Its brown rocky wall rested on a much lighter brown floor. It was quite dark inside but Sunflora used Flash to bring some light. Poison pokemons mostly lived in the cave with a few machops. The group even found a gabite who was an outlaw. They defeated him but, since they had no time to arrest him, they let him go.

It took them a few days to reach Mount Travail. The vivid grey mountain was inhabited by incredibly powerful pokemons that showed no mercy to rookies. The group wondered how a new recruit managed to receive such mission and be sent there on its first day of work. They pressed on and had to use many different combat tactics to fend their way through the many normal, fighting and flying pokemons. They reached the top where they saw two pokemons fighting each other. It did not seem to be a serious fight but more like training. One was blocking the other's hits. That one was a marowak, the one that owns the dojo back in Treasure Town. The other one was, unsurprisingly to Cyndaquil, Drowzee. Marowak must have been the reason Drowzee managed to reach the top of Mount Travail without looking too injured. After all, Marowak used to be an explorer back when he lived on the Air Continent. It made Cyndaquil wonder what Drowzee's mission was and when Marowak joined the latter. The group approached the two pokemons. They stopped fighting.

"It seems like you have visit, sir." Marowak said.

"Ah, hello again, children! What brings you here?" Drowzee greeted.

"HI! WE'RE HERE FOR YOU! CHATOT HAS AN URGENT MISSION FOR YOU! COME BACK TO TOWN!" Loudred shouted.

"How urgent?" Drowzee asked.

He had to ask since Loudred was not very good at varying his tone due to him always screaming.

"Azurill is sleeping but it's been days since he didn't wake up." Corphish explained.

"Someone put a nightmare on him? In that case, let's go back!" Drowzee declared.

They gathered together and used an Escape Orb to return to town. They arrived at the same time as the others. Cyndaquil saw Team Charm wounded carrying an unconscious Weavile. He had no idea what happened to them but it was clearly not good. Meowth was back too with Cresselia.

"Great timing, Cyndaquil! I just got the last time gear!" Meowth said.

The keepers and Celebi were standing near the entrance when the explorers just appeared. They went to see Meowth.

"You're back. Did you find the last time gear?" Uxie asked.

Meowth pulled out the five time gears from his bag and showed them to the keepers. They were impressed to see them all in one's hands.

"What should I do now?" Meowth asked.

"The next time you sleep which will be tonight, our lord and savior should bestow you with one last dream. Then, you will learn of your final task and will be guided to fulfill the prophecy. For now, you've done well. Go rest for the day." Mesprit answered.

Meowth and Cyndaquil returned to Chansey to check on Azurill. He was still sleeping and Marill was as worried as before. Drowzee sat down next to Azurill and put his hand on the forehead. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes.

"Something is preventing him to wake up inside his nightmare. I can send someone inside to fight it. If you think you meet a friend, do not believe it. It's likely a trap to imprison you in the nightmare." Drowzee explained.

Meowth volunteered himself. He was instructed to lie down and close his eyes which he did. He then woke up in an abstract world. He was standing on a blue celestial floor surrounded by purple cloudy walls. He looked around and saw Azurill who just noticed him. He was crying.

"Is that you Meowth?" Azurill asked.

"Yes, I went into your dream to rescue you." Meowth answered.

"Oh thank you!"

Azurill jumped at Meowth. Meowth caught him and walked into the nightmare. There were wild pokemons here too. Meowth did not expect that. They were either younger version or older version of the townsfolks. He managed to get to the end where he met someone he was not expecting to see again. The figure was facing away.

"Grovyle!?" Meowth exclaimed.

The figure turned around. It was indeed him. Meowth could tell because Grovyle's eyes were yellow.

"Well, it's been a long time, Meowth. How are you?" Grovyle calmly said.

Meowth did not answer. He was instructed not to be fooled by anyone in the nightmare. Save for Azurill, all the pokemons he met were nothing but product of imagination.

"Aren't you happy to see me, Meowth? I expected more from you." Grovyle added.

"You're not Grovyle. Whatever you are, show yourself!" Meowth replied.

Grovyle chuckled. He slowly walked to Meowth. He was quite far but the voices could echo through the realm easily.

"I see you won't fall for that little trick, chosen one. That's great, dear. So I'll deliver you a little message instead." Grovyle said with his voice becoming more and more distorted after every word he spoke.

The more he walked, the more distorted his body became as well. It changed color too. Meowth became more and more frightened by it. Azurill closed his eyes and went behind Meowth. When the thing spoke its last word, Meowth recognized the voice of the possessed Weavile. When it made it last step to Meowth, its body stopped distorting. It became a black, shadow-like Pokémon. It had a small head with a white fog-like ghostly plume billowing from its head covering one of its bright blue eyes, with the portion on its face resembling hair. It also had a red spiky growth around its neck. It had skinny arms and long black tatters hanging from its shoulders. It also had black, claw-like hands. It had the slight appearance of an hourglass figure and appeared to be wearing an old, ripped cloak. It it was now walking on stilt-like appendages that retracted into the thing. The environment around changed too. The floor changed to blood red and the walls became another red. It was like being inside someone's organs.

"Give up now." The thing whispered.

"Are you the fuel of nightmares?" Meowth stuttered.

"Please, call me Darkrai. And again, give up now while you still can because, when you'll reach the point of non-return, you'll be given a fate worse than death." It whispered again.

A strong flash blinded Meowth and he found himself back in Chansey's clinic. This time, Azurill woke up and immediately went in Marill's arms. Meowth looked around and saw his friends including Cresselia.

"You've seen it from your very eyes… The fuel of nightmares. We need to get to him and put an end to this. It's not efficient lift the nightmare the way I did with Azurill but I had to so he wouldn't trap you in a nightmare. From now on, keep focusing on the prophecy. I'll be gone for a while so I won't be able to save you if he tries again." Cresselia explained.

"Wait! Darkrai was in there! Couldn't you have stopped him now?" Meowth said.

"It was not him, just a pre-recorded message to lure you into his trap."

Everyone returned to their old habits but the idea of something capable to put pokemons into an endless nightmare worried the townsfolks. Meowth returned to the guild and went to sleep with Cyndaquil. They invited Celebi to rest with them. Just like the keepers said, Meowth had a dream.

"FROM IDEALS TO TRUTH, THE DRAGON BREAKS THE BOUNDARIES AND BECOMES ONE WITH THEM."

"AWAKEN MY AGENT WITH THIS PHRASE AND HE SHALL GUIDE YOU TO THE TUNNEL THAT WILL LEAD YOU TO THE SEA OF TIME. THERE, TRIUMPH OVER THE GUARDIANS AND SHOW YOUR PROGRESS TO THE IMMORTAL CARRIER AND RIDE YOUR WAY TO THE LAND HIDDEN FAR BEYONE THE WORLD'S COMPREHENSION. FIND THE MISSING PIECE TO YOUR KEY AND FLY TO THE TOWER OF TIME. REMEMBER. SEEK JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS. STRIVE AWAY FROM DARKNESS AND PERSONNAL GOALS. DO NOT BE LURED BY THE NIGHTMARES."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Lapras**

"WAKE UP EVERYONE! CHATOT HAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO SAY!" Loudred announced.

It had been a while since Cyndaquil and Meowth did not hear that voice to wake up. As the first time, they were dizzy but quickly recovered and left the room. When they reached the lower main room, there were not only the students here. All the high ranked exploration teams were also here. Chatot was by the ladder standing on a pile of crates to ensure everyone can see him. He was holding some papers in his wings. The keepers and Celebi were next to him. The guildmaster just arrived but no longer had his playful attitude. He was normal this time, a rare sight for everyone here.

"Everyone, I have some alarming news. Our world is starting to wither down." Chatot first announced.

Team Pokepals heard gasps and whispers among the crowd.

"Let me explain. It has been reported a month ago that Treeshroud Forest and everything around it turned grey. This then resulted into trees no longer growing fruits or berries in the area and water to freeze as if it was ice. Not only that but, here in Treasure Town, townsfolks began reporting about pokemons sleeping and being unable to wake up even after an entire day. I would like to give the floor to Celebi here who will give more details." Chatot continued.

He stepped down the crates and Celebi climbed them up.

"Good morning, everyone. Following what is happening around Treeshroud Forest, it is no longer advised to stay in town or anywhere in the open." Celebi began.

The gasps intensified. Some pokemons in the crowd asked her where they could stay.

"I can tell you. You will not like the answer I will give you. We need to establish ourselves in mystery dungeons. Now, before you object and point out the impossibility of such thing, explorers began studying mystery dungeons. With Treeshroud Forest, they found many spots where the miasma, the gas that makes pokemons feral if exposed for too long, cannot reach and is not affected by time due to the mystery dungeons' changing nature. Those spots also exist in all the other dungeons. By example, Beach Cave, which is right at the town's beach, possesses an incredibly big spot devoid of miasma and that cannot be affected by the time paralysis. As for the sleeping pokemons, we also have that covered but the solution is not direct as you would have wanted. And with this, I will give the floor to the keepers." Celebi concluded.

Celebi stepped down. Because there was place for only one pokemon, Uxie was the one who climbed them.

"Thank you. For the sleeping pokemons, we have identified the source of those incidents. Our friend Cresselia, which is not here with us at the moment, is currently investigating those. She has concluded that the fuel of nightmares is the cause. It is a pokemon just like all of us but with more power. By resting inside mystery dungeons, all of you will be hidden from the thing thus preventing more pokemons to fall victim to it. As for the ones already victim, once our friend puts an end to the thing, they should wake up shortly after but for now you should keep an eye on them to make sure they do not do anything against their will as the fuel of nightmares does possess such power. With that said, we will give the floor back to Chatot." Uxie explained.

Uxie went down the crates and Chatot landed back on them.

"Thank you, sir. As of today, all exploration teams must forfeit their current task and are now issued to study mystery dungeons and the potential of shelter spaces to inhabit. Tools will be given to those who choose this take. Or, the others will escort townsfolks inside mystery dungeons that have identified shelter spaces. That is all for today." Chatot concluded.

The high ranked exploration teams got to work and went to see Chatot for their tasks. The students stayed behind and spoke to each other.

"Oh my gosh! This can't be happening! Our beautiful world…" Sunflora cried.

"Darn… My family's out there in the open back in the Water Continent. I hope they'll tell them all that stuff." Bidoof worringly said.

"Hey, at least we still have each other and I'm sure those guys will spread the world around the world." Corphish tried to comfort.

"I don't know, man. This sounds beyond critical. What if the paralysis happens faster than we think? What if they don't have time to warn everyone?" Loudred quietly said.

"Just do what they're asking you, guys. I'll take care of it." Meowth said.

"We know ye will, partner. We're all with ye on that one, Meowth." Bidoof said.

Meowth and Cyndaquil went to see Chatot and the guildmaster who just finished giving tasks to the high ranked explorers.

"Children, I wish you good luck on your mission wherever it will take you. Please, succeed for all of us. You're our only hope." Chatot begged.

"Thank you but I have something to ask. Have you heard something like this? From ideal to truth, the dragon breaks the boundaries and becomes one with them." Meowth brought up.

"Can't say I had. What does it have to do with your mission?" Chatot asked.

"I had! Meowth, come to my office. We have much to discuss." The guildmaster brought up.

Meowth followed the guildmaster in the office. Cyndaquil went to town for shopping. He sat on one of the chairs while the guildmaster went behind the desk. The latter blinked once and his eyes turned green with red pupils.

"It was about time, friend." The guildmaster said.

"Your eyes, who are you?" Meowth asked.

"I am a prophet of our lord and savior. I have been watching you ever since you got your hand on the relic fragment."

"You mean the rock with the encryption?"

"Indeed, it is the key to get to Dialga."

"But why didn't I see you at all back then?"

"I was well-hidden. I blended myself with society to keep an eye on you. I was instructed not to directly interfere with your life. Our lord and savior wanted to make sure you were the right pokemon for his prophecy."

"What were the criteria to be a chosen one?"

"Simple. All one needed to do was to never lose hope of a better future, to show dedication in his job and to care for all even itself. Anyone could become a chosen one but only the one who found the artifact would be worthy."

"What else did you do?"

"I will admit this: I was the one who moved the Treeshroud Forest time gear to Mount Bristle. When I heard from my sources about the fuel of nightmare being sighted here and knowing that this time gear was unprotected, I had to make sure he would not get it. Otherwise, the prophecy would have been unfulfillable."

"But I thought pokemons like you could not fulfill it yourself."

"Indeed, I was scolded by our lord and savior. Time gears usually have a thiefproof system which causes massive pain to a pokemon that was not the chosen one. The many days I've suffered just to get a time gear closer to you was however worth it as we ensured the fuel of nightmares would never steal it from us. I do not understand why but this thing is not affected by the thiefproof system."

"Okay… Anyway, where should I go now?"

"Ah yes! You'll follow me to Brine Cave. It's just north of here on the other side of the gulf. I'll go with you and your friends from the future to lead the way. Once we make it through Brine Cave, you'll be brought to Hidden Land where you can then get to Temporal Tower."

"Tell me more about those two places."

"There will be plenty of time when we'll get to Brine Cave."

"But what about the guild? Who's gonna manage it?"

"Do not worry, friend. I have everything planned since the beginning."

After this conversation, Meowth and the guildmaster left the office and they went to see Chatot.

"Chatot, friend, I would like to promote you to the rank of guildmaster." Wigglytuff declared.

"Me!? But what will you do?" Chatot asked.

"I must step down and leave my post to ensure Meowth fulfill the prophecy. In my absence, please keep an eye on the townsfolks and make sure they are escorted safely to shelter spots. I am counting on you."

"Yes sir! I won't disappoint you!" Chatot saluted dedicatedly.

Wigglytuff gave a badge to Chatot, one Meowth never saw before. He presumed it was the guildmaster title. Meowth gave his orb to Chatot to stay in contact with him. Celebi already had one anyway and Grovyle was gone so there was no need to keep it. The duo joined up with Cyndaquil and Celebi. Before they left town, two lines of pokemons were formed and the pokemons saluted the small group as it walked down the stairs to the junction then toward the exit. At the end, the keepers bid farewell to the group before the group left town. It might be the last time they would ever set foot here as their world was in peril.

The road to Brine Cave was a relief compared to the one to either Mount Travail or Limestone Cavern. They just had to cross Serenity River but it was not a big deal since the water pokemons there were weak compared to the four explorers the team was composed of. They arrived at the mystery dungeon in question. The cave opened on a beach. They could see Treasure Town from here. It might the last beautiful sight they would get if they failed their mission. They had no time to enjoy the scenery. They did not however expect to see Team Skull there. The team did not seem to be waiting for them. It was in fact making some preparations for something.

"You got the masks?" Skuntank asked to his teammates.

"Yup! Right here!" Koffing said as he unzipped a bag and pulled out three masks.

"What about the detector?"

"In here!" Zubat said as he lifted a weird object from an already open bag as high as he could.

The group approached them. Team Skull saw them. Meowth had an aggressive look on his face.

"Woah there! We're not here for you. We were sent here to investigate if we could stay here. Seems like things are desperate enough to have pokemons like us do some odd jobs for the "greater good"." Skuntank brought up stutteringly.

The significant difference in Skuntank's tone compared to when Team Pokepals met him in Apple Woods reassured Meowth. Plus, he was with both Celebi and Wigglytuff so Team Skull would not attempt anything stupid on him or his friend.

"Beshidesh, we learned our leshon to no mesh with wanderersh. Shpeaking of thoshe, where'sh your mashked friend?" Koffing brought up.

"He is not here. He is very sick so I'm here for him." Celebi answered.

She seemed more comfortable to speak up for Grovyle's absence than when she just got to this time period.

"Well, that is great, friends. We will not bother you any longer. We have business in here and we must hurry. Farewell." Wigglytuff said.

Team pokepals and co had to keep going so they entered the cave. They went through the corridors and rooms built in light brown sandy floors and blue rocky walls. Team Skull did not follow them because they were not ready yet to enter. Deep ponds surrounded them so Wigglytuff carried Cyndaquil on his back to keep him safe. While many water pokemons inhabited the place, a few dragonair occasionally ambushed the group but in vain as they were prepared for the worst. They arrived at dead end where a kabutops and two omastars were standing in the way. The group stopped.

"What is your business here?" The kabutops coldly asked.

"We're here to go to the Hidden Land." Wigglytuff answered.

The kabutops gave a cautious gaze at the group.

"Who is the chosen one?" The kabutops asked.

Cyndaquil, Celebi and Wigglytuff stepped back, leaving Meowth in front. The kabutops approached him. Meowth noticed the green eyes with the red pupils.

"If you are indeed the chosen one, I thereby challenge you to a duel. You can choose to fight me alone or you can have your allies help you against us." It declared.

Meowth chose to fight the kabutops himself. The two omastars stayed in place and stared at them. The fight began with Kabutops trying to slice Meowth with his scythe arms. Meowth ducked to avoid being hit and quickly stood back up. Meowth then dug underground.

"DIG!" He shouted as he quickly re-emerged and hit the kabutops as strongly as he could.

One hit was far from enough to beat this pokemon. The fight lasted for a while and after many moves used. It was a much more difficult fight compared to anything else Meowth had been up against. The kabutops was no foe to be underestimated. It was focused on the fight, determined to beat Meowth. Despite its best efforts, it could not beat Meowth. He had grown so strong from his adventures with his friends but he still had room to become even stronger. The kabutops yielded and stood back up.

"I admit defeat. You are indeed the chosen one and thereby have passed my test of might. Please, proceed forward and may you succeed in your destiny." The kabutops concluded.

The inhabitants opened a wall revealing a new corridor. The group went inside. On their way to the end, Celebi's orb glowed. She gave it to Meowth who answered the call.

"Hello?" Meowth introduced himself.

"Meowth? It's Chatot. Tell Wigglytuff we have fully evacuated Treasure Town and are sheltered in the nearby mystery dungeons around." A voice said.

"He's just right next to me. He can hear you loud and clear."

"I'll come back in town once I'm done with my task." Wigglytuff said.

"Great! I'm inside Beach Cave at the secret beach. See you soon." The voice concluded.

The orb's light faded away. The group arrived at a rocky shore and a huge opening showing the sea on their left. To the right, the wall had a socket inside. The group went to the socket. They examined its shape and size. Meowth pulled out the rock he now knew as the relic fragment but the socket was too high for him to reach. Wigglytuff took him and lifted him up so Meowth could reach it and put the relic fragment in. The relic emanated a light beam that fired straight into the opening. A moment later, a large sea creature that resembled a plesiosaur swam to the shore from the opening. It had a spotted, blue hide with a cream underside. Its neck was long, and it had large black eyes. There was a short horn in the middle of its forehead and curled ears placed farther back on its head. It had four flippers with the foremost pair being larger than the hind. On its back was a heavy, gray shell covered in blunt knobs.

"It has been a long time since your last visit, Wigglytuff. What brings you here?" It asked.

"Hello, friend! I have brought with me the chosen one." Wigglytuff explained.

Lapras looked at Meowth and examined him. She stared at the three pendants Meowth was wearing. She blinked once and her eyes became green with red pupils.

"It was finally time, chosen one. You are ready to fulfill the prophecy. Do not forget the relic fragment. You will still need it. Now, climb on my back and we'll cross the sea of time." Lapras declared.

"Sea of time?" Meowth asked.

"Yes, it is the road to the Hidden Land, a passageway to go see whichever legendary or mythical pokemon you wish to meet. In your case, you can only meet Dialga in the Temporal Tower, his domain."

Meowth nodded and climbed on Lapras' shell with Cyndaquil and Celebi. Wigglytuff waved goodbye at his friends before the others left through the opening. For now, no sign of Dusknoir. They must have escaped him and, at this point, it would be impossible for him to catch them back.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: To the Hidden Land**

Lapras kept swimming. They kept getting farther from the Grass Continent. She had been swimming for a while. Meowth and the others fell asleep. A day passed and they woke up. Lapras was still swimming but now they were in the middle of nowhere.

"Is this the sea of time?" Meowth yawned.

"Not yet but we're getting close. You guys woke up just in time. Hang on tight. We're about to cross it." Lapras said.

Meowth tried to take some water from the sea and splash it in his face but he noticed that Lapras was hovering above the water level. He got surprised and almost fell. Cyndaquil caught him and brought him back on the shell.

"What's happening!? Why are we flying!?" Meowth asked.

"We're not! We're still swimming but the sea of time can't be seen by mortals." Lapras said.

As Lapras kept swimming, they were going higher and higher. They even went through the clouds. Once they emerged out, they saw a giant floating island. Lapras accosted on the island. The others climbed off the shell.

"This is it! Welcome to the Hidden Land! This is where all your questions will be answered. Good luck on your journey and until next time." Lapras bid.

Meowth and his friend ventured into the Hidden Land. It looked like a typical jungle with the deep green grassy ground and palm trees and the ponds but the presence of brown dirt walls convinced them they were in a mystery dungeon. Ancient pokemons lived in this isolated island. They were much stronger than anything Team Pokepals fought before. Only fully evolved forms were encountered here. Though, with Celebi's help, Team Pokepals managed to go through the wildlife here. They reached the heart of the Hidden Land after what seemed to be hours. They arrived inside old ruins. They entered it and noticed all the carvings of unique pokemons.

"What are those?" Meowth asked.

"Those are the mythical pokemons. On the left, you have Groudon, the continent pokemon, and Dialga, the temporal pokemon. On the right, you have Kyogre, the sea basin pokemon, and Palkia, the spatial pokemon." Celebi answered.

"I remember Cresselia saying she had to meet Palkia."

"Why should she? She must focus on the fuel of nightmares."

"Darkrai said something about taking over something before leaving Limestone Cavern. He did not say what it was but Cresselia theorized he was after space."

"Let's hope she's right. I don't want to meet the thing in person while we're on that mission."

They saw some other carvings further in the ruins. Celebi explained they were more mythical pokemons and legendary ones. She also explained the difference between those two. They then reached a set of stairs leading to a platform. The platform had a hole in it that looked the same size and shape than the one in Brine Cave.

"That's the Rainbow Stoneship. Depending of the relic fragment you get, you'll go to one of the mythical pokemon's domain. In our case, we'll get to ride the stoneship to the Temporal Tower and meet Dialga." Celebi explained.

"You mean I could meet other pokemons by accident?" Meowth asked.

"Not really. Each relic fragment had different carvings on them. Each relic fragment requires a pokemon to meet different legendary pokemons to get their approval to reach the Hidden Land. Though both Dialga and Palkia's relic fragment requires you to meet the keepers, they lead you to pursue different artifacts."

"How do you know about all of that?"

"I used to be a pinnacle link for Lugia, the diving pokemon, and Ho-oh, the rainbow pokemon, before so many things happened to break my link."

"Pinnacle link?"

"It's an additional safety measure to ensure the prophecy isn't desecrated. In my case, a chosen one had to get the approval of the links, the legendary dogs Raikou, Enkei and Suicune. Once done, it had to go to Brine Cave to show their approval to Larpas so it could travel here. The biggest difference is that, when you put the relic fragment in the stoneship, you'll be brought to me and I'd give you a test. Once you passed the test, then you'd be allowed to meet a mythical pokemons."

"What happened to you?"

"When the world was entirely paralysed, the legendary pokemons began to investigate where they went wrong in the prophecy. They had been slain by an unknown force and the latter went to the mythical pokemons and got rid of them. I had no choice but to give up on all of this and hide."

"Right, let's get this over with."

Meowth was about to put the relic fragment into the hole. Before he could, a powerful voice echoed through the ruins shouting embargo. The fragment would not budge. Meowth let it go and looked around. It was Dusknoir who put an embargo on him and his friends. He just arrived in the ruins with a dozen of sableyes and the sergeant. Dusknoir snapped his fingers causing a portal to open behind him.

"That's far enough! I'm through chasing you all the way here! You've caused enough damage to the timeline! This ends now!" Dusknoir shouted.

His presence angered Celebi. She slowly went to him and the sableyes surrounded her. The sergeant remained close to Dusknoir. She raised her hands high in the air.

"THUNDERBOLT!" She shouted.

Violent lightnings stroke the place. All the sableyes around were knocked out by them. She then looked at the last of them. The sergeant stood in front of Dusknoir, ready to protect his superior, but the latter gently moved him sideway.

"Do not throw your life away like that, sergeant. Return to the present and focus on the other mission." Dusknoir advised.

"But my lord! You can't possibly beat them!" The sergeant reminded.

"I know. I have failed my duty and this shall be my punishment. As a last act, I shall blow myself up with all the blast seeds in my bag and bring them in my demise. Please, sergeant, carry on with the future. Do not look back. What is done is done. Focus on changing the future instead of the past. And keep the portal open if I somehow survive."

The sergeant shredded a tear and saluted Dusknoir one last time before vanishing into the portal. In the meantime, Celebi was slowly advancing toward them, ready to tear them apart. Meowth saw this small moment between Dusknoir and the sergeant. He grabbed Celebi by the arm and tried to hold her.

"Not now, Meowth! I need to make them pay for Grovyle!" Celebi yelled.

Celebi shoved Meowth away and charged at Dusknoir. She was immediately neutralized when Dusknoir stung her with a stun seed. He did not do anything else with Celebi right now. He went to Team Pokepals.

"Do not commit the same mistake as her, Quilava. Surrender now." Dusknoir advised.

Cyndaquil prepared himself to fight Dusknoir. Meowth backed away. He was instead paying attention to Celebi who was petrified. However, something else caught his attention. The portal Dusknoir opened closed itself.

"The portal!" Meowth pointed out.

Dusknoir looked behind and saw the portal was gone. He was not surprised though.

"It seems he has given up on me. He is now moving on." Dusknoir whispered.

There was no time to think what Dusknoir just said right now for Meowth. He felt like slowly sinking into the floor. He looked down and saw the floor melting. He panicked. He looked at Cyndaquil who was also sinking. Even Celebi was sinking into the floor. Meowth grabbed Cyndaquil to try pulling him out but it just make them sink faster.

"What's happening!?" Meowth asked.

"You fools, you have been disrupting something else besides time, did you!? What have you done!?" Dusknoir scolded.

Even though he was hovering, Dusknoir felt being pulled down into the melting floor. It was like swimming in mud. Before he was completely emerged, Meowth took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He did not dare open his eyes as long as he kept feeling the melting floor. He then began falling down. The feeling was gone. Meowth opened his eyes and saw he was falling in the sky with Cyndaquil, Celebi and Dusknoir. He looked below and saw a giant portal sucking in everything. They fell into it and found themselves in a completely different world. They were now inside a cavern made of dark green rocky floor and dark grey walls that looked like it came from the moon.

"Where are we?" Meowth asked.

"We're in Spatial Rift, Palkia's domain. He has summoned us for a reason. Did you do anything else besides playing with time?" Dusknoir replied.

"We didn't do anything! Stop blaming us like that!" Celebi let out.

"You didn't? Then why are we here then?"

They suddenly felt drained out. The portal must have drained their energy.

"Alright, guys, this is how we'll work. One pokemon keeps an eye on Dusknoir while the two others recover." Celebi said.

Meowth and Cyndaquil went to sleep while Celebi kept an eye on Dusknoir. Team Pokepals did not sleep well since Celebi kept arguing with Dusknoir but Meowth got a hold of what it was about.

"You murderer! You killed Grovyle!"

"Grovyle committed a heinous crime and had to be punished. You and Quilava will be punished the same way once I bring you two back to the present. Then, you will join your Grovyle."

"Oh no you won't! We're three against you! Your army gave up on you! Your sergeant gave up on you! What do you have left to take us down!?"

"Celebi, Meowth only is a child. Do you really expect him to take on everything life throws at him? You are putting too much optimism in him."

"He's the chosen one!"

"Still, I doubt he could fight a god by himself."

"Quilava is back with me!"

"Your friend got cursed. I don't know how but he appears weaker than usual. And then there you are, acting out on emotions."

The dispute kept going until Celebi had enough and went to sleep. Cyndaquil woke up and kept an eye on Dusknoir. It was much easier now to sleep as Cyndaquil said nothing to Dusknoir. Eventually, it was time for Meowth to wake up and keep an eye on Dusknoir. Cyndaquil just went to sleep and Dusknoir was still awake. He did not sleep at all. Meowth sat next to him. He gave him a faint smile.

"Hey…" Meowth simply said.

Dusknoir did not react to it.

"Tell me about yourself." Meowth politely asked.

Dusknoir looked at Meowth. He did not even bother to move his head, only his eye. Afterward, he looked back forward, lost in his thoughts

"The only thing you need to know about me is that I will bring your "friends" back to where they belong." He just said.

"Why can't I know more about you?"

"You are not supposed to know me. I come from far away in your future, so far away you no longer exist."

"But you seem to know so much about me."

"I have stumbled across history books telling of your failure as a chosen one. That is how I know you."

"I doubt you would. I don't imagine myself being spoken of. Besides, if it wasn't for Cyndaquil, I'm sure I would've never joined the guild. Plus, historians only write about pokemons worth mentioning like the ones who truly contributed to mankind."

"You got me. You are much cleverer than I thought. I know you because of Dialga. And with this, I shall tell you about myself."

"Don't believe anything he says!" Celebi's voice warned.

Meowth looked at Celebi. She was not sleeping. She stayed awake because of what Dusknoir told her earlier. She became more cautious and stayed awake to make sure Meowth and Cyndaquil would be fine keeping an eye on their prisoner.

"There is no point of antagonising me, Celebi. There is much you do not know about me. You focused your thought so much on Dialga that you did not see who was really pulling the strings behind him." Dusknoir brought up.

"What are you talking about!?"

"I would like to tell you this. We both have the same goal, but the way we want to achieve it is what pitches us against each other."

"Sure! You want to restore the world like me! Are you sure you're not mistaking taking over everything with what you just said!?"

"There is no mistake in what I said. Also, what makes you think you would still be living?"

This sudden question made Celebi doubt about herself. She left her spot and sat down near Dusnoir.

"What do you mean?" Celebi asked.

"Let me explain what really happened to our world. You may know of how Dialga went insane when the prophecy could not be fulfilled, right?" Dusknoir asked.

Celebi quietly nodded.

"Afterward, Dialga began losing his temporal powers and then absorbed time all over the world which explains its grey color and the paralysis of all. Even if all of that was enough, even your own powers can become a destructive addiction so Dialga wanted more. He roamed the land in search of more temporal powers. Knowing of your existence, I could not let him reach you wherever you were. So, I confronted him and took away his powers." Dusknoir continued.

"But how can you do that. Only a legendary pokemon with permission or another mythical pokemon could take away his powers." Celebi asked.

"That is correct. However, why do you think I have a squadron of sableyes with me?"

"Wait, you managed to take his powers by having the sableyes harvest the gem on his crest?"

"Indeed, then I could take those powers myself. I knew I could keep them without suffering the same fate as Dialga but doing that would not be enough to stop him."

"So you brought him back to his primal form."

"You must have noticed it before you left in the present, how he stood there like an empty shell."

"You did all of that? What else did you do?" Meowth asked, impressed.

"I've been investigation on what caused the world paralysis in the present, where your friends should have stayed. By the time your friends began their mischief, I had a clue of how the paralysis truly happened." Dusknor answered.

"And how did it happen?"

"Dialga happened. Someone took the time gears away…"

"You mean me?"

"Not you, I'm talking about the original timeline."

"Hold on. How do you know about an original timeline?"

"When I took the power of temporal reading from Dialga, I also gained temporal awareness which prevented me to have my memory altered due to time paradoxes and to see the impacts of different actions. That is how I know about the original timeline."

"So you'll know about what would've been of me if I never met Cyndaquil, right?"

"Indeed."

"May I see it?"

Dusknoir looked away but eventually looked back at Meowth.

"Before I do, let me finish with the paralysis. Something hid away the time gears and took over Dialga and forced him to absorb all the time in the world. I'm still not sure what or who could be able to do all of that. Now, about you…" Dusknoir said.

He put one of his hands on Meowth's forehead. Meowth saw not all of his life since he first met Cyndaquil but an alternate one where he was promoted to a courier who would deliver important package all over the world and eventually become one of the most recognized explorer of history on his own. It was hard to believe it. He though Dusknoir could trick him and misguide him. Yet, Meowth wanted to believe it. Dusknoir removed his hand off Meowth's forehead.

"Having never met Quilava, you would have given up on joining the guild but instead focused of making a better self. You would have learned many things in a few days that would gain more of the townsfolks'' trust thanks to the kangaskhan. You would've never known of the prophecy and carried on. Obviously, you would've been victim of the paralysis but it'd be inevitable." Dusknoir told.

"Are you trying to force me to give up?" Meowth asked.

"No… I am just telling you of what your life would've been. You are free to do whatever you want as you are the master of your own decisions. You chose to help Quilava and I have no problem with that."

"Then why go after me?"

"I have no business with you, only Quilava and Celebi. They do not belong in your time period for I have to bring them back. It just so happened that you are here with them. If they did not commit any significant change, I would just release Quilava in our present. As for Celebi, I would have to keep her locked up, devoid of her powers, to ensure she would never try again. However, because it is not the case…"

Dusknoir seemed hesitant to finish the sentence but Meowth already had an idea of what he would say.

"You'll dispose of them." Meowth concluded for Dusknoir.

"They give me no choice. The past is not something we can and must change. What is done is done. They insist so much on changing the past which is a crime against nature."

"Speaking of crime, do you remember the time you pressured me to go to Amp Plains?" Meowth brought up.

"He WHAT!?" Celebi shouted.

"That's right, Celebi. Dusknoir made a change in the timeline." Meowth declared.

"You filthy hypocrite!" Celebi insulted.

"What was your purpose to do that?" Meowth asked to Dusknoir.

"This change was to lure you away from town to investigate of the presence of your friends, Grovyle and Quilava. I did not want you to be in my way."

"I wouldn't have been in your way that much. I was about to leave to amp plains either way and…"

Meowth paused. He had something else in mind. He stared at Dusknoir for a good moment. He looked at all the curves on his body, all the colors, all the shapes. He then noticed the bag Dusknoir had with him. Nonetheless, he looked back at Dusknoir.

"This just came up in my mind. Why did you speak to Duskull afterward?"

"I had to blend myself into the world and checking on him after he was assaulted by the electrikes was a convient way to do so."

Meowth was about to speak but what Dusknoir told him made sense. Otherwise, he would have been easily unmasked. Meowth looked back at the bag. A chain was hanging out, a detail he did not notice earlier.

"What's that chain coming out of your bag? Can you show it to me?" Meowth asked as he pointed the chain.

"That is nothing of importance." Dusknoir simply replied.

"If it's not important, why don't you want to show me?"

"Because I do not want to…"

"Show me right now!"

Celebi never saw this side of Meowth before. He was aggressive right now and dedicated to expose Dusknoir of a crime but she did not know what. Dusknoir opened his bag and pulled the chain out. It was a Nether Globe.

"It's his Nether Globe, isn't it?" Meowth promptly asked.

"This one is mine, Meowth. Why would I steal it from him?" Dusknoir said.

"Trinkets give powers. I'm sure you already have a bunch of trinkets that make you stronger just not this one. Swapping trinkets is a huge gamble and you didn't want to gamble too much so, when you heard Dusknull mention his, you waited for me to return it then you stole it. Also, I recognize the scratch on the side of the globe. It's placed exactly like the one on Duskull's."

"You think I care for a mere trinket because of power? Meowth, I have Dialga's power. Compared to that, this trinket would do nothing to me. Now, tell me again why I would take it from Duskull."

Meowth took a break before saying anything. He stared at Dusknoir who put his trinket back in his bag. Meowth thought of something but, when it came to his mind, he gasped. Celebi and Dusknoir looked at him.

"No… You did not steal it from Dusknull." Meowth concluded, a bit disturbed.

"Why yes, this is one is mine as I said earlier." Dusknoir said.

"You had it all along."

"Meowth, are you alright?" Celebi asked, worried.

"That's because… You're Duskull."

Celebi gasped too and looked back at Dusknoir. This declaration even woke up Cyndaquil. Dusknoir looked away.

"Why you intervene was not because of power. You wanted your Nether globe back because… Duskull kept telling me how important the trinket is to him. He came from the Sand Continent where his family is and he is the only one of his family on the Grass Continent and this trinket was given to him by his family. He told me he would never forgive himself if he happened to lose it. Then, you said you came from the Sand Continent. You must have lost it in another timeline and wanted it back. Is that right?" Meowth theorized.

Dusknoir suddenly trembled. He began crying. Cyndaquil approached the group.

"Yes… You are correct… I used to be Duskull. What would have really happened was… When I lost it, you would return to the guild with me to make a mission request. But then, when you would go to Amp Plains, it would be too late. Drowzee would already be dead and, with that, Treasure Town would deem the amp tribe as savages and hunt them down. Their chieftain would have fled with my Nether Globe." Dusknoir whispered.

"What was more important to you between the trinket and Drowzee?"

"Both. The trinket was a part of my family and is the last thing I have from them. Drowzee, on the other hand, was my best friend and how I know you. He wrote of you in this timeline and I managed to keep his history books but could not find him again."

"But what happened to them?"

"When the paralysis began, I didn't stay to receive the instructions from Chatot or the keepers. I instead chose to return with my family back to the Sand Contient thinking I could escape the paralysis. One day, I went in a mystery dungeon to gather some supplies for my family and, when I returned to my hometown, everything was grey. Nothing moved and I…"

Dusknoir paused for a moment. He closed his eyes and firmly grabbed after his tail.

"I couldn't find them anymore, even when I returned home. They vanished without a trace. I was the only one left in the Sand Continent. I wandered around for decades and then…"

"Then what?"

"I received a dream from Arceus. He told me to return to the Grass Continent and finish what his former chosen one could not complete.

"You mean me?"

"Yes… Something put a stop to you. When I returned, I found Dialga terrorizing the remaining survivors so I stopped him. Then, I received no other dream from Arceus… He gave up on me… The gods gave up on us… The links began mistrusting each other..."

Celebi looked down. She knew too well about this feeling.

"Hold up! The links lost trust in each other? Celebi told me they were are slain trying to investigate the paralysis." Meowth brought up.

"I'm sorry, Meowth. I lied to you. I presumed them gone because no links wanted to talk to each other and I received no news from anyone." Celebi said.

"I had to do everything on my own without being guided. I had to guess what really happened to the world and how it happened. Eventually, I found out what really happened to my family. Dialga consumed them in an attempt to regain his powers. To think I tamed the very thing that murdered my entire family." Dusknoir continued.

He became angrier. Meowth tried to reassure him.

"Even with his powers, I can't see how you failed in this timeline! I can't do anything! Even when I found the time gears, I couldn't find Dialga's domain anymore!"

"But how did you find him?"

"He came to us."

Cyndaquil went to sit with the others.

"You are a chosen one?" Celebi asked.

Dusknoir searched in his bag and pulled out a severely damaged rock. It had the same encryption as Meowth's relic fragment but it was scratched to nearly unrecognition. Huge chunks were also missing on the rock.

"Wow… The mistrust between me and the keepers… If they have told me about you, I would've never travelled back in the past. I would've found you instead to solve the problem in our present." Celebi final said.

"That is very kind of you but it is no longer of use. The gods no longer count on us. They lost faith in us mortals." Dusknoir claimed.

"If we can't change anything in your present, we can still change something in mine." Meowth proposed.

Cyndaquil and Celebi were supportive of this idea. After all, that was what they wanted in the very beginning. Dusknoir, however, gave a cautious look at Meowth. Did Meowth really manage to convince him?

"And what do you think will happen if you succeed?" Dusknoir calmly asked.

The others wanted to answer but they were hesitating. Celebi tried to use her temporal readings to find an answer but she could not.

"I do not have an exact answer but I can tell you this: actions in a certain period may and will have unintended consequences in the rest of the timeline." Dusknoir simply said.

Meowth was lost. He could not even answer that one. He seemed desperate. He looked at everyone. He hated to think about it. He sighed.

"Let's just get to the bottom of it. I'm getting tired of this entire prophecy thing." Meowth said.

Meowth gave Dusknoir his Nether Globe back. The group then moved out. The Pokemons here were incredibly strong. They had to work together to bring a single one down. Though, through their perseverance, they managed to get to the end where they Cresselia confronting a weird looking pokemon. It was a light purple theropod-like Pokémon with stripes and markings of a darker shade and gray underarms and waist. It had round purple-striped plates on its shoulder area, where two pink pearls lied encrusted with a gray rim encircling them and fins in their back. Its arms had extended formations resembling gauntlets and a purple band around each wrist. It had a long neck, a pointed white crest on the top of its head that extended to its wings, two strong horn-like tusks on the sides of its jaw, and a powerful tail. It had faint cracks along its legs and tail. Meowth could tell something was wrong with it. It had the same eyes as Darkrai. When the group arrived, Cresselia looked at them.

"What are you doing here!? How did you…" Cresselia began.

The pokemon behind her punched her, sending her on a nearby wall but was not knocked unconscious.

"CRESSELIA!" Meowth shouted.

Meowth ran to Cresselia, ignoring the big pokemon. He attended to Cresselia's wound. Though she received a powerful blow, she did not seem severely wounded. He completely ignored the monster and got punched at his turn. He was sent into a wall. He was so hurt he could barely stand up. Celebi began distracting the monster while Cyndaquil and Dusknoir went checking on Meowth. They gave him a Sitrus Berry to eat and heal his wounds. The group began fighting the monster with Cresselia's help. At five, they managed to bring the monster down. Everyone looked at Meowth, not paying attention to the monster. In the meantime, a gooey substance emerged from the monster's shadow and slowly materialized itself.

"Well, Palkia should be listening to us now." Dusknoir whispered.

"Look out!" Cresselia warned.

It happened so fast. A blade-shaped tendril pierced through Dusknoir's body from behind. It went on the other side of his body. Meowth was just in front of Dusknoir. The blade almost touched his face. Dusknoir trembled when he saw the object that went through his body. He slowly looked behind him and saw Darkrai.

"What are you?" Dusknoir asked, frightened.

Meowth looked around. No one else was moving, only he, Dusknoir and Darkrai were.

"Your worst nightmare…" Darkrai said before vanishing back into the shadows.

Dusknoir fell on the ground. Everyone went to see him. His wound was fatal. There was nothing anyone could do at this point. Meowth kneeled down to him.

"NO! Don't leave us like that! You can't!" Meowth begged.

Dusknoir used his remaining energy to lift himself up and grabbed one of Meowth's shoulders. He was trembling so much he made Meowth tremble too.

"Please, don't waste your effort on me… I was already gone since it all started… I'm just glad it ended for me…" Dusknoir said.

Meowth fell Dusknoir was losing grip on the shoulder. Dusknoir pulled out a letter from his bag.

"Here… If you ever see my friend again…" He struggled to say before falling back on the ground.

His hand left the shoulder. The other pokemons stood there silently. In the end, they all wanted a same thing: to restore the world. Meowth looked at the letter Dusknoir gave him. It said "To my friend" on it but it could be unfolded to uncover a message. Meowth did not unfold it to respect its confidentiality.

"Not again! I was so close! Now, I lost him forever!" Cresselia yelled.

"NO, YOU DID NOT."

The new voice startled the group. They looked around and saw Palkia standing up with his real eyes.

"Palkia, how can you know that?" Cresselia asked.

"SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN BAITED HERE, THE FUEL OF NIGHTMARES WILL RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL GOAL: THE TEMPORAL TOWER. I CAN WARP YOU BACK TO THE HIDDEN LAND." Palkia claimed.

He then looked at Meowth.

"YOU MUST BE HIS CHOSEN ONE. I CAN SENSE HIS RELIC FRAGMENT WITH YOU AND…" He began.

He paused for a moment and looked back at everyone.

"And what?" Meowth asked him.

"NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE. YOU SHALL GO. SPATIAL RIFT!" Palkia shouted.

And like that, a portal opened sucking everyone in. They all returned to the Rainbow Stoneship.

"I WISH I COULD JOIN YOU TO STOP IT BUT THE FUEL OF NIGHTMARES DRAINED ME OF ALL MY ENERGY. I SHALL RECOVER IN THE MEANTIME." Palkia's voice echoed through the ruins.

This time, the sergeant returned and the portal was open again. He was desperately searching for something. He then saw the group and ran to them.

"Where is he!? What did you do to him!?" He accused.

Meowth gave him the letter. The sergeant opened it and read its content. He slowly looked back at Meowth. He seemed calmer and sad.

"He's gone then. In that case, I shall do as you ask." The sergeant declared.

"Was it his last wish?" Meowth asked.

"It seems my lord grew to like you in the end. Things change so fast. Anyway, how may I help?"

"Come with us to the Temporal Tower. We're gonna need all the help we can get to confront Dialga and Darkrai."

"Who is Darkrai?"

"The thing that slayed your friend."

"I shall do as you ask."

It was great that Sableye no longer wanted to get in Meowth's way. Not only that but he went to his side. Meowth put the relic fragment in the hole and the platform began lifting up. Everyone got on board and the stoneship followed a rainbow that was created as it flew upward and away from the Hidden Land. The question Dusknoir asked before heading out still bothered Meowth but he had an idea of the answer.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: The Last Adventure**

They had been travelling on the rainbow stoneship for hours until they could finally spot the Temoral Tower. It was an old blue tower standing on a floating island barely bigger. A red vortex was at the top of the tower.

"It began…" Cresselia whispered.

"What's happening up there?" Meowth asked.

"Dialga's absorbing time all over the world." Celebi answered.

"But what does Dialga have to do with Darkrai?" Sableye asked at his turn.

"He's controlling Dialga. We have to put an end to him once and for all." Cresselia said.

When the stoneship reached the island, everyone left it and went to the entrance of the tower. Before they entered, Meowth gave a little speech.

"This is it, everyone. I know some of you may not agree with the way we intend to save the world but…" Meowth began.

"Listen. If it's because you're about to commit a time paradox, it doesn't matter anymore. I'm loyal to my friends, not their ideals." Sableye confessed.

"Yes… Today, we'll rewrite history. Today, we'll stop what has been causing all of this. We'll face the mightiest foes in there so be ready. Who's with me?" Meowth concluded.

All of Meowth's friends raised their hand or paw. They were all ready to face the fuel of nightmares. Without further ado, they headed inside the tower. Meowth was still thinking about what Dusknoir asked him. Even if he had an idea of the answer, he wished something else would happen. He also felt something strange in him, as if he was not always in command of his body. He suspected Darkrai to have gained influence over him. He tried to fight against it but, since it was abstract, he could not get the grasp of it. Inside the tower, they faced pokemons of the same strength as the ones in Spacial Rift. Though, the number of species here was significantly smaller. There were only a few psychic pokemons and porygons but this was only the first part of the tower. Though Sableye was not as strong as Dusknoir, he was quite strong on his own. Plus, Meowth felt he was stronger and was also able to fight many feral pokemons at the same on his own, a feat that impressed all his friends. He felt like all his adventures payed off. They arrived at a floor with nothing. They used it to rest.

"Tell me, Sableye. Why did you follow me right away?" Meowth asked.

"As I said earlier, my loyalty goes to my friends, not their ideals. Plus, I'll admit this: When Dusknoir first saw you, he grew to like you. He must've told you how he used to be a chosen one, right?" Sableye explained.

Meowth nodded.

"You reminded him of himself when he used to be guided by a dream. Of course, in his case, he fulfilled his prophecy."

"He told me Arceus left him."

"It was a euphemism to mean that exactly. Anyway, when came the idea to restore the original timeline, Dusknoir objected by stating we would be breaking the rule too. It was obvious he didn't want to return you to your original life even though you would've lived well either way."

"I guess he preferred me to become a chosen one instead of a courier."

"Even his rules have such contradictions?" Celebi asked.

"It was hard to work with Dusknoir. As soon as Grovyle and Quilava left the first time, he didn't chase after them. He waited and observed the past. I insisted that we should be pursuing them to prevent them of changing anything but he abstained when he saw you, Meowth, acquiring your first time gear." Sableye continued.

"Did you know he was Duskull in Treasure Town?" Meowth asked.

"Not at all. Since I don't have temporal readings, I couldn't be aware that he had a trinket and that he lost it. However, I had my suspicions about that Duskull when I saw Dusknoir speaking to him. They did not talk about Grovyle due to the martial laws. They talked about Duskull's trinket. Dusnoir seemed to be interested in it."

They kept talking about Dusknoir but eventually went back to their job. They climbed more floors in the tower. Stronger pokemons stood in the way like more powerful psychic pokemons, salamences and updated versions of porygons. They arrived at the top of the tower, the pinnacle. This time, they were right under the vortex. Lightning struck around the tower from above. The wind blew violently. They saw Dialga, standing in the middle of the place. Behind, they saw a giant façade and in it were five holes, certainly where they would have to place the time gears. Dialga had blue eyes. He was possessed. So, the group had no choice but to fight him. They managed to bring the legendary pokemon down but it was not over yet. They heard Darkrai laughing as he emerged from Dialga's shadow.

"Is that all you can do?" Darkrai mockingly asked.

"We won't let you get away this time! Your time is over!" Cresselia shouted.

"Is that so?"

"We are five against you! Don't bother!" Celebi shouted at his turn.

Darkrai just chuckled. This angered Celebi even more.

"If I wanted you gone, I could've done it anytime. But I waited for you just to come here."

Meowth began to worry. If the fuel of nightmare could beat him and his friends anytime, why wait now?

"You see. When I learned of powerful pokemons, you, Cresselia, and you, Celebi, were after me, I knew I had to get rid of those powers at the right moment. And it just happened you fell into my trap." Darkrai continued.

"What are you talking about?" Cresselia asked.

"This trap… DARK VOID!" the fuel of nightmares shouted.

He emitted a dark shockwave from his body that became wider and wider. The dark ring, as soon as it touched the other pokemons, put them to sleep. Cresselia did not fall asleep. She knew against what she was up to and brought a pair of Insomniscopes with her. Meowth tried to resist the curse but ended up falling asleep. He could still hear the fight between Cresselia and Darkrai but the latter seemed to have the upper hand. Then, silence…

Meowth woke up in a completely black environment. He did not know on what he was standing. He did not know where he was. He looked around and saw no one for now. Then, the fuel of nightmares appeared in front of him. Since most of his body was black, it was hard for Meowth to see him.

"Welcome…" Darkrai sinisterly greeted.

"What is this place?" Meowth asked, scared.

"This is my domain… You see. It exists in all of you mortals. The moment you sleep, I exist. I am the one who controls your nightmares. I am the one who torments you the most in your slumber. I am the fuel of nightmares and you are now imprisoned in my domain, doomed to endure your worst nightmare… forever."

Darkrai's appearance changed. He became more monstrous and more distorted. He grew twice the size as Dialga. He laughed in a disturbingly distorted way. Meowth was frightened but he had to fight his fears. He first went to the fuel of nightmares.

"SLASH!" Meowth shouted as he hit the monster with his paw.

It seemed to be bleeding but it bled a dark substance. The substance spilled on the ground then materialized into pokemons Meowth knew. The first ones were Team Woodwater.

"Yer worthless, varmint!" Bidoof said.

"Hey! Don't take it personally. You ARE worthless!" Corphish said.

They both laughed. Meowth ignored them and kept attacking Darkrai who was just laughing. More substance spilled out Darkrai's body to materialize into Team Whistleleaf.

"Oh my gosh! Just stop! You're embarrassing yourself!" Sunflora mocked.

"YOU'RE WEAK!" Loudred just shouted.

They then began to laugh. Meowth ignored them too. He kept attacking Darkrai. More and more substance was spilled on the ground. More and more it materialized into townsfolks that mocked Meowth and laughed at him. Meowth kept ignoring them. Eventually, Darkrai reached deeper into Meowth's memories and turned his substance into pokemons closer to Meowth. First, there was Kangaskhan.

"You're pathetic! I should've never told you about the guild!" She insulted.

Then, there were Chatot and the guildmaster.

"Run away and pay. That's the only thing you're good at!" Chatot insulted.

"You're not a friend. You're a failure!" The guildmaster mocked.

They both laughed at Meowth. Then, there were the keepers.

"Our lord and savior should've chosen someone stronger than you. You are weak." They said in unison then laughed at Meowth.

Finally, there were Meowth's friends from the future.

"Maybe Dusknoir was right. We should've never intervened." Celebi said.

"What a disgrace you are. You can't even fight for yourself." Grovyle said.

Meowth stopped. He looked at Cyndaquil who was just shaking his head. Meowth lied on the ground. He had enough. He had no more hope left. The laughers filled his mind. He could not think of anything else anymore.

"This can't be real! All of you can't be real!" He begged.

"Oh BuT tHeY aRe ReAl!" Darkrai reminded him.

It was over. Meowth could not do anything anymore. He began to cry. The laughers became louder. He could no longer hear himself crying. He curled up but something prevented him. His body began moving on its own. A voice faintly called for him. Meowth could not tell who it was.

"Don't… give… up…" The voice faintly said.

Meowth could not move on his own behalf. His body attacked Team Woodwater instead of Darkrai. The pokmons reverted into substance. Meowth's body then performed an attack meowth never knew he had.

"… u-turn…" The voice faintly said.

His body dashed toward the piles of substance and destroyed them. They reverted into a bright white substance and rematerialized into the pokemons Meowth knew. This time, however, they were cheering him up.

"C'mon Meowth! Ye can't let that varmint beat ye!" Bidoof now said.

"Hey! Don't let that monster get in your way!" Corphish said.

They both kept screaming Meowth's name. The laughers suddenly stopped. All the other corrupted pokemons tried to go to the purified ones but Meowth's body charged at them. Meowth understood what the voice was trying to tell him. He managed to regain control of his body. The voice was not resilient on that.

"U-TURN!" Meowth shouted.

He first destroyed Team Whistleleaf who rematerialized back and cheered him up.

"Oh my gosh! This is it, Meowth! Don't stop!" Sunflora said.

"JUST DO IT!" Loudred said.

Like Team Woodwater, they shouted Meowth's name.

"WhAt In ThE wOrLd?" Darkrai said.

He could not understand what was going on. Meowth used that occasion to purify Kangaskhan.

"You got it, kid! Now, show that thing what you're capable of!" She said then screamed his name.

Meowth then freed Chatot and the guildmaster.

"Don't shirk work! You never did it back then and I know you won't do it now!" Chatot cheered.

"Keep it up, friend!" The guildmaster said.

They both shouted Meowth's name. Meowth went to the keepers and gave them back their purity. The voice became clearer. Meowth could not believe who was calling him but he had to purify all his friends to make sure it was really that pokemon.

"Our lord and savior have chosen you for a reason and you are now seeing it! We are counting on you!" The keepers said before screaming his name.

Then came the time to purify Meowth's best friends. Darkrai stood in the way this time.

"I wIlL nOt LeT yOu WiN! No MaTtEr WhAt, I'lL cRuSh YoU!" Darkrai declared.

Meowth suddenly fell like moving at an impossible speed. The next thing he knew, he was right in front of his best friends and behind Darkrai.

"WhAt!?" Darkrai said.

The fuel of nightmares was completely confused. Meowth put the finishing touch on his best friends who reverted back to normal.

"You have to do it, Meowth! You're our only hope for a better future!" Celebi said.

"You have grown so strong, Meowth. You no longer need my help. I am glad you are about to save our world." Grovyle said.

A tear came down his face. He was being a bit emotional at that point. Both he and Celebi shouted Meowth's name. Meowth looked at Cyndaquil. He could not speak but he thumbed up at Meowth and then kept raising his arms to support his best friend. Meowth looked back at the fuel of nightmares who was about to attack him.

"I hAvE eNoUgH oF yOuR pAtHeTiC eFfOrTs! TiMe To DiE!" Darkrai yelled with an arm high up in the air.

The arm moved at an incredible speed. Meowth closed his eyes and placed his arms in front of him hoping he could block the attack. Nothing seemed to have happened. Meowth opened his eyes and saw Darkrai's arm right above him. It was trembling. He then looked at Darkrai who was forcing as much as he could to crush Meowth but nothing happened.

"Is ThAt… DiAlGa'S pOwErS!? HoW!? HoW iS tHiS pOsSiBlE!?" Darkrai asked.

"Meowth… Can you hear me?" The voice asked.

(Dusknoir… But how?) Meowth thought.

"I do not have much time to explain. We must defeat this thing."

(But why?)

"The one missing piece to all of this… The one thing I left out… All because I never believed its existence in the first place… It seems you and your friends knew it… How was I so blind to this… Even if we did not agree with each other, I will not let you succumb to this monstrosity. Are you ready?"

(Yes… Let's do this!)

Meowth closed his eyes and opened them back. He now had red eyes with black globes. Darkrai's arm was released. He focused his energy to create a white sphere.

"YoU tHiNk YoU cAn TaKe Me WiTh DiAlGa'S pOwErS!? eVeN wItH tHoSe YoU cAn Do NoThInG aGaInSt Me! I wIlL eNd YoU! FoCuS bLaSt!" It shouted.

The white sphere was thrown at velocity toward Meowth but he managed to dodge it without too much struggle.

"First, soften his defence." Dusknoir's voice advised.

"I got just the move! SCREECH!" Meowth shouted.

He emitted an eerie sound which forced Darkrai to cover his ears. The latter screamed in pain but attacked at his turn.

"ThIs Is My DoMaIn! I hAvE cOnTrOl oVeR yOu NoW! iT iS nO uSe! DoDgE tHiS! FaInT AtTaCk!" He screamed.

"Don't bother avoiding that. You can't." Dusknoir's voice said.

Meowth took the hit. It did not hurt him much but he heard Dusknoir screaming.

(Dusknoir!)

"Don't worry about me! Just focus on him!" Dusknoir's voice said.

"Alright… Take this! FURY SWIPES!" Meowth shouted.

Meowth landed many hits on Darkrai. Thanks to the previous move he did, he dealt massive damage on the fuel of nightmares. It seemed to be weakened at a point it could no longer fight back. It laughed.

"WhAt A fOoL yOu ArE! i Am A gOd In My DoMaIn! HoW dO yOu ThInK yOu CaN kIlL mE!? wHaT a BrAnD aNd InToXiCaTiNg InNoCeNcE! hOw CaN yOu Be So NaÏvE!? tHeRe Is No EsCaPe! No TeLePoRt Or EsCaPe OrB wOrK iN tHiS pLaCe! NoW… nO… nOt NoW! i CaN't LoSe DoMiNaTiOn In ThE ReAl WoRlD!" Darkrai screamed.

"LUNAR DANCE!" A voice shouted.

It was not Dusknoir's voice. It was Cresselia's. A strong light blinded Meowth and he was now back on Temporal Tower. Darkrai was significantly weakened while Cresselia was lying on the ground struggling to breathe. Meowth's friend woke up just like him.

"Damn you! Damn you all! I'll slay all of you if I have to! DARK…" The fuel of nightmares began.

"SAFEGUARD!" Celebi shouted.

She managed to imbue all her allies with a layer of protective energy. Darkrai emitted another dark shockwave from his body but it affected no one this time. Darkrai panicked.

"No! How dare you!? Fine! You have won this time but I'll return to a period were you can't win against me!" Darkrai threatened.

He then panicked even more as the ground began to shake. It became more and more intense and louder. Meowth looked behind and immediately got out of the way. His friends fell on the ground. It was Palkia who just entered the pinnacle and was charging at Darkrai.

"No! Not now! NOT NOW!" Darkrai screamed, afraid for his life.

He opened a portal and quickly entered it. It was the worst mistake he could ever do when Palkia was around.

"SPATIAL RIFT!" Palkia shouted.

The portal distorted itself until it closed. Everyone could hear Darkrai screaming in agony. The screaming died down until they vanished. Meowth stood back up and went to see Palkia.

"What did you do.?" Meowth asked, a bit scared.

"I SENT HIM INTO GIRATINA'S DOMAIN! HE WON'T EVER ESCAPE FROM HERE!" Palkia answered.

Meowth's friend stood back up and went to see them. They cheered for having finally gotten rid of the fuel of nightmares.

"Nice eyes." Sableye commented.

Meowth remembered Dusknoir was still in his body. Though, after blinking once, his eyes went back to normal as the others around him sighed in relief. They all feared Meowth was being taken over by another pokemon that could be an accomplice to Darkrai. Meowth look around since he was concerned by Cresselia who was still lying on the ground. He saw her and went to check on her.

"Cresselia! What happened to you!?" Meowth asked.

"Don't worry about me... Just place the time gears on the wall..." Cresselia coughed.

At this moment, the floor trembled again. This time, the floor was cracking.

"NOW, CHOSEN ONE!" Palkia ordered.

Meowth went to the wall with his friends. He gave a time gear to each of his friends: Cyndaquil, Celebi and Sableye. Meowth kept two for himself. They all put their time gear in the wall but Meowth did not put the last one yet. Dusknoir's question still bothered him. He looked back at everyone. All his friends looked at him, concerned.

"What's wrong, Meowth?" Celebi asked.

Meowth looked at Palkia who was beginning to lose patience.

"What's going to really happen when I put this last time gear?" Meowth asked.

"NOT NOW, CHOSEN ONE! JUST…" Palkia began.

"Answer me!" Meowth interrupted.

"HOW DARE YOU…"

"PALKIA… HE HAS THE RIGHT TO KNOW." Dialga said.

Dialga just woke up. Palkia helped him get back up on his feet.

"I CAN FIND THE ANSWER FOR YOU. THE TRUTH IS…" Dialga began.

He stood there for a moment. The floor was still cracking.

"STRANGE… I CAN'T EVEN TELL WHAT WILL HAPPEN, EVEN IF I GATHERED MORE THAN ENOUGH POWER TO DO SO." Dialga finally said.

"It's alright. I didn't expect anyone to know." Meowth just said.

Meowth already had an idea. He looked at everyone and shredded a tear. The thought he had been keeping in mind since Dusknoir's question became unbearable. Though, he had no choice. He would rather this to happen over dooming the world. He raised the last time gear in the air and smiled at his friends.

"As a last request, may we put this last time gear together?" Meowth asked.

Just the way he said it made everyone else finally realize what will really happed afterward. They all nodded at Meowth. Meowth then placed the last time gear in position while all the others put a hand or a paw on it. They all pushed it into the last hole in the wall. The cogs slowly spun on the wall like a clock ticking. The wall emitted a strong blue light. It was working. As Meowth stared at it, yellow light particles came floating upward. He looked down at his body and found out he was emitting them. His bag was glowing. He pulled out the orb.

"Meowth! Pokemons are emitting light particles and vanishing. Ahh! It's happening to me too! I hope you…" Chatot's voice panicked.

It cut abruptly. He looked back at his friends who were also emitting them just like Meowth expected. They all understood what was going to happen to them. It did not matter though. They were all glad all of this was finally over. Their body became more and more transparent.

"You have made your choice. Farewell, my friend." Dusknoir's voice echoed in his mind before fading away.

(Thank you, Dusknoir.) Meowth thought.

"Well, twas nice knowing y'all! Kinda wished it was on friendlier terms." Sableye bid, saluting one last time before vanishing out of existence.

"Thank… you…" Cresselia coughed before disappearing.

"YOU HAVE DONE IT, CHOSEN ONE." Palkia congratulated before vanishing.

"DO NOT WORRY, CHOSEN ONE. YOU WILL BE REWARDED FOR YOUR ACT." Dialga said before disappearing.

"I'll never forget what you've done for us, Meowth! I promise!" Celebi yelled before disappearing.

Only Meowth and Cyndaquil remained. The floor was still cracking but they were not worried at all. Meowth stared at Cyndaquil who slowly reverted back to his real form. He became a slim quadruped Pokémon. The top half of its body was blue, while the lower half was cream. Its ears were triangular with red insides, and it possessed a rounded nose and red eyes. It had five red spots on its body.

"So… this is the real new, uh? Quilava… That's a nice name for you." Meowth complimented.

The floor collapsed. Quilava caught Meowth in the air. They held each other while falling down with the tower. Meowth closed his eyes and cried in Quilava's arms.

"Quilava… we met so many pokemons… made so many friends… fought so many foes… went to so many places… faced many dangers… and I want to tell you… thank you… Quilava… I just wish… we could be… together… forever… or at least… remember…" Meowth whispered.

He first felt like losing grasp. He figured out he was now falling down with the tower all alone. He then felt like forgetting. He no longer knew why he was crying. Finally, he felt like vanishing. Eventually, he was erased out of existence. As all of this was happening, from the moment he put the last time gear to when he finally vanished, he heard a female voice singing:

 **Very end of eternity;**

 **The final day has come to an end, it's gone for good;**

 **I would then slowly close my eyes;**

 **And be cuddled by the shining memory piece;**

 **I will trace back all the memories with you;**

 **That's the only wish I have.**

 **The last day with you was truly magical;**

 **The frozen time began to flow;**

 **At last the longest night has gone and brought in light;**

 **I felt myself melt in the morning light.**

 **The final grain of sand has dropped;**

 **I will slowly so quietly fall into sleep;**

 **I see you gently fade away;**

 **Your silhouette has gone to the other side of the mist;**

 **And all the memories with no sound so quiet;**

 **Just like in slow motion it moves so slowly.**

 **And so the last day with you was truly magical;**

 **The frozen time began to flow;**

 **At last the longest night has gone and brought in light;**

 **I felt myself melt in the morning light.**

 **You have gifted many things to me;**

 **(But I) wonder if I could've done the same for you;**

 **If you would let me, I will give back a handful;**

 **If it would put a little smile on your face.**

 **Can I ask you, God? Despite all of this...**

 **Could the sandglass somehow take back the time?**

 **One last time is all I ask from you;**

 **Can you please spare me some time with the one man I loved?**

 **I wouldn't care how and where (you could) it should be;**

 **But I need one last time I want to tell you, how I feel inside for you;**

 **I want you to know...**

The End

(Song is One Last You from Xenoblade Chronicles 2.)


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 1: A Storm at Sea**

It was a stormy night, on a cliff of the western part of a continent recently named the Grass Continent. Its heavy rain poured down on the world from its menacing dark grey clouds. Lightning would occasionally strike down in the flashiest fashion, so flashy it would, for an instance, give the impression it was daytime despite the absence of a sun. The cliff had a large plateau over it inhabited by a few tents. Those tents formed a small settlement for a few living creatures known as pokemons. This settlement had a sole purpose: map this completely new continent and establish a prosperous civilization for the future generations. This task once proved to be a challenge for some other continents before this one. The lack of hope, the threat of a giant meteorite, those contributed in an attempt to halt the progress of all lifeforms on the planet. In those dark times, humans were summoned from another world to solve those major conflicts and ensure the world could carry on with its quest. What would prevent pokemons to explore now?

The cliff had an opening shaped like a shark's mouth. In fact, this part of the cliff was shaped like a shark's head. Inside lived a small feline with cream-colored fur that turned brown at the tips of its hind paws and tail. Its ovoid head featured four prominent whiskers, wide eyes with slit pupils, two pointed teeth in the upper jaw, and a gold oval coin embedded in its forehead. Its ears were black with brown interiors, and were flanked with an additional pair of long whiskers. He was lonely in its remarkably huge single room for someone like it, sleeping on a pile of hay. He was not asleep though. He was lying sideway, facing the huge opening that served as a window for his home. The way his home was made prevented rain to pour in his home. He stared at the stormy sky. He could not sleep but the reason was in his mind rather than his surroundings. He was lonely, did not have any friends. Even the residents at the surface were not really his friends. They were more like co-workers for a community. He did not even have parents. He was born all alone on a faraway land and slipped in the first ride to this uncharted territory while the other pokemons could afford the travel. Because of that, the others gave him an unwelcome presence. He found this hideout by luck and chose to reside in it. The only entrance was hidden by a conveniently placed bush. The pokemon sighed and closed his eyes, dreaming one day of making a friend.

A new day rose. Our lonely pokemon woke up and searched in a bag placed right next to his pile of hay to pull out an apple he then ate. He checked inside the bag after his breakfast but only had another apple left, an elixir, a seed and a rock with carvings on it. He found the rock while wandering around back on his home continent and took it with him because it looked nice. He was very poor, so poor he could barely afford any food or drink to satiate his needs. It would have been worse if he lived on the surface or if anyone knew of his home. He would have to pay taxes to stay here. He slowly stood up and went to the big opening in his home. It gave an impressing view on a beach with its golden sand far down the cliff and the ocean with its crystalline water going to the infinite horizon. He took a brief moment to enjoy the scenery until he noticed something unusual at the end of the beach. It was a big silhouette but he could not recognize anything from it. The meowth took his bag and headed out.

On the surface, the settlement was made of a linear road where the tents were mounted around. A few instalments were actual buildings like the first building to the left the meowth passed by. It was used for item storage and as a post office to send or receive letters and parcels. It was run by a kangaskhan.

"Over here!" The kangaskhan said while waving at the meowth.

The meowth ignored her. He had to find out what this silhouette was. He ran through the settlement. Right next to the storage was a tent occupied by two kekleons. They were twin brothers but one was green while the other was purple. They ran a shop that sold anything anyone would need whether it was food, drink, seeds or even orbs and move discs. Our meowth would buy his apples there.

On the other side, another tent was installed inhabited by a xatu. This bird pokemon used to live in canyons in the Air Continent to the north but moved here to offer his services. It was rumored that explorers tended to find locked treasure chests they could not open and it just so happened that the xatu knew how to pick the lock.

The meowth passed a bridge crossing over a river. The water flowed to a waterfall to then meet up with the sea. The first tent after the bridge, to the left, was run by an electrivire. His services consisted of changing moves for explorers. He could even link moves together to use them quicker.

Across the dirt road was installed a daycare where a chansey would babysit the children of the explorers while they were away. It was too dangerous for children at their age to accompany their parents.

Right next to the daycare, a marowak opened a dojo to train explorers and settlers who wanted to defend themselves. Having been a former explorer, his services are often looked up by the newer explorers who could confirm their relevancy to the field.

The last building next to the electrivire's tent was a bank for a currency named pokes. A duskull would operate the bank and keep the settler's money safe. The meowth never used this service but, unlike most other services in which he did not need to, he never had any spare pokes on him.

The settlement was built on a giant patch of grass with some rock fences lying around and a few trees. The meowth arrived at a crossroad from the west. The northern path led to a set of stairs that went up a mountain. The eastern path did not seem to lead somewhere in particular. The southern path led to the beach at the foot of the cliff the settlement was built on. A spinda was excavating a space on the south-west spot of the crossroad while a well full of pure water was put on the north-east spot. A big plank of wood standing on some wooden pillars covered the well to prevent rain to mix up with the already drinkable water. It was where the meowth would get his water whenever he was thirsty. The meowth took the southern path and went down to the beach.

He descended more stairs and got to the beach. The meowth looked at the orange sky with its sun slowly rising up. It could also be seen in the sea's reflection. A few purple clouds surrounded the sun but did not dare to conceal its beauty. Bubbles floated in the air and travelled west. The meowth ran down on the golden sand and stared at the horizon. He then found the silhouette again and went to it. It became a dark blue sauropod-like Pokémon with some gray metallic portions, such as its chestplate, which has a diamond in the center. It also had various light blue stripes. It had a fin-like structure on its back and a crest on its head, resembling a dinosaur. It also had two horns on top of its head, two fang-like horns around its mouth, and three spines on the back of its neck. It had three claws on each foot of the same metallic looks as its chestplate. It was much bigger than the meowth. The new pokemon was looking at the see. When the meowth got to it, the latter slowly turned its head toward the meowth.

"AH… HELLO…" The pokemon spoke.

Its mouth did not even move. The powerful yet calm voice froze the meowth in place.

"Who are you?" The meowth asked.

"I AM DIALGA, THE TEMPORAL ONE. AND YOU ARE?"

"Meowth."

"WELL, MEOWTH, I HAVE COME HERE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING I HAVE LOST A LONG TIME AGO. DO YOU APPEAR TO HAVE IT SEEN BY ANY MEAN?"

"It depends. What are you looking for?"

"I AM LOOKING FOR A RELIC FRAGMENT. IT IS A SMALL PIECE OF ROCK WITH MANY CARVINGS ON IT."

"Hold on. I think I know what you're talking about."

Meowth looked in his back and pulled out the rock. He showed it to Dialga who nodded.

"YES… IT IS THE FRAGMENT RELIC I AM LOOKING FOR. I THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT BACK TO ME." Dialga concluded.

The rock then vanished out of Meowth's hand in a small blast of light.

"Woah! What happened!?" Meowth screamed.

"DO NOT WORRY. THE RELIC FRAGMENT HAS NOW RETURNED INTO MY POSSESSION BACK IN MY DOMAIN, TEMPORAL TOWER. AS FOR YOU, I SHALL REWARD YOUR GOOD DEED WITH YOUR HANDS FORTH."

Dialga closed its eyes. Meowth brought his hands in front of him. Small beams of light appeared and fused into a sphere that rested on his hands. Once the sphere became big enough, it exploded revealing a trinket in Meowth's hands. It was a Meowth Claw.

"Thanks." Meowth said, unsure of what he just received.

"DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THIS GIFT. IT WILL HELP YOU IN A VERY SUBTLE WAY IN YOUR FUTURE. IT IS TIME FOR ME TO RETURN TO THE TEMPORAL TOWER. UNTIL NEXT TIME, MORTAL." Dialga bid.

He roared once. Meowth was scared and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Dialga was gone. He heard footsteps behind him and saw the kangaskhan from the storage service running to him. She was exhausted and grabbed after her shoulders.

"Oi Meowth! What brought ya to the beach?" She panted.

"Oh! I saw some bubbles and thought the krabbies were there." Meowth lied.

"That's not the season yet for them. Anyway, I heard the guild was looking for pokemons to recruit. Maybe it'll be a good idea to give it a shot, don't ya think?" The kangaskhan proposed.

"Sure, I can try."

They both walked back to the cross. Meowth examined the trinket he just received from Dialga. He was however not paying attention to where he was going and bumped into a sableye at the cross. He fell on the ground with the sableye.

"HEY! Watch where you're going, twerp!" The sablye insulted.

"Now now, Sableye, there's no need to be rude." Another voice spoke.

A dusknoir helped Meowth get back on his feet. Meowth just noticed him.

"I've never seen you two before. Who are you?" Meowth asked.

"I am Sir Dusknoir of the Sand Continent. I have come here on behalf of your local sheriff to provide more security for the townsfolks. And this is Sableye, my assistant. Where were you headed?" The dusknoir greeted.

"I'm going to the guild. I wanna become an explorer!"

"Aren't you the meowth that…"

"Yes…"

"Well, since you have good intentions, I'll let you be. May your path be filled with good fortune."

Meowth left the others and climbed the stairs to the north. He arrived at the top of the mountain where another tent was built. Surrounded by two sources of fire and two totems, this tent also had a wire rack placed on the ground right in front of it. The meowth hesitated at first. He walked in circle without passing the wire rack. There was no way to walk around it. The first risk he ever took, the one of leaving his home continent, might have been one big mistake but it led it to an opportunity of a dream, a dream of a lifetime. Meowth was confident and put one foot on the wire rack then the other one.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" A voice loudly ordered.

Meowth got a bit scared by the surprise voice but was still confident. He listened to the voice and stood still on the wire rack.

"Don't move. We're doing a pokemon check… Let's see… Oh hi, Meowth, do you have something to deliver at the guild today?" The voice spoke with a much calmer tone.

"In fact, I'd like to join the guild." Meowth confidently answered.

"Join the guild? We're always looking for new recruits these days. Do you have someone else willing to accompany you?"

"Someone else? What do you mean?"

"According to rule number 77, pokemon between the age of 13 and 18 cannot be sent alone on adventures. They can however accompany or be accompanied by another child pokemon. You can still join the guild but you'll have to do some work at the guild until we can find you someone that would like to accompany you on your adventures."

The meowth closed his eyes and lowered his head. He put some thought about that. He opened his eyes again and raised his head.

"I'll join!" Meowth declared.

The gate opened and the Meowth entered the tent. Inside, he found a ladder going down inside the cliff, a similar trait his house shared with the guild. He went down the ladder to the next floor where some pokemon where waiting for him. Once on the floor, a chatot approached them.

"Good afternoon, child, I am Chatot, the guildmaster's assistant. If you ever need to report anything, seek my aid. I heard you wanted to join the guild, is that correct?" The chatot greeted.

Meowth happily nodded.

"Excellent! We're always looking for new recruits to our guild. Since you joined alone, you'll be doing duties at the guild and errands in town until we can find you another pokemon that would like to join you to form an exploration team." Chatot explained.

In the following days, Meowth did his duty as a guild member. Sometimes, he did sentry duty to help Dugtrio with the pokemons that wanted to enter the guild. Other times, he helped Chimeco cooking and cleaning. He even did his former job of delivering packages to the townsfolks. This time, he was better paid and was now able to use the different shops to buy items or store his pokes. He also had a place to stay at the guild. It was much smaller than his hideout but he was close to new friends. A few days later, he was on sentry duty and let enter a group of pokemons inside. Chatot entered the sentry room and went to see Meowth.

"Good news, child! One of the pokemons you let enter would like to form an exploration team with someone. Are you interested to join him?" Chatot asked.

Meowth nodded and Chatot brought him back in the main room where a grovyle, a cyndaquil and another pokemon Meowth never saw were waiting inside.

"Meowth, this here is Cyndaquil. He is the pokemon I talked to you about. He can't speak with words but can still express himself in many other ways." Chatot presented.

Meowth shook Cyndaquil's paws and they went to the office to officialise their team they named Team Pokepals. The grovyle and the strange pokemon went to them.

"I am Grovyle, a native here. You be careful with our friend Cyndaquil, Meowth. We entrust you can take good care of him." Grovyle greeted.

"And I'm Celebi from here too. I hope we can one day go on an adventure all together." Celebi said.

"But we can already go on an adventure together. Why should we have to wait?" Meowth pointed out.

"We're going into dangerous places since we start at a higher rank. It's best you become stronger before you follow us." Grovyle brought up.

To this day, Team Pokepals partook in many exploration and rescue missions. They caught many outlaws and rose in the ranks of exploration teams. Once they reached the age of eighteen, Meowth and Cyndaquil became Persian and Quilava. They carried on with their duty and eventually reached the same rank as Grovyle and Celebi. One day, Persian received an anonymous letter signed C in which the pokemon congratulated him for having saved the world. Though, at first, it seemed to be sent to the wrong pokemon, Persian found out this letter was indeed destined to him. He never found out who this C person was or what he did to save the world despite it being fine all along. It did not matter. Team Pokepals reached the Grandmaster rank, the highest rank in the guild, and Persian became the new guildmaster while Quilava became Typhlosion and worked at his assistant. They held the guild until their time came.

" _Meowth,_

 _I know you don't remember me or our friends but I want to thank you for everything you did for us. Our lord and savior even brought us to your time period so we could be with you. Don't worry about any possible time paradox. He managed to make it work somehow. I promised I'll never forget you and I held it. Again, thank you for saving our world._

 _C."_

 **THE END**


End file.
